Hyperion
by the holy see
Summary: EDITED/RE-CONTINUED. His hands were rough. She didn't blame him though. Her hands were just as calloused as his. Tristan/OC Gawain/OC
1. I: Too Little Men To Harm

**Hyperion**

**Author: **The Holy See

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**Summary:** Tired of seeing the young of their tribe taken to serve Rome, Aleath and her silent friend Raine issue a negotiation with Roman soldiers. With negotiations going better than expected, they are led to serve Arthur and fight alongside his knights. Typically, women did not belong in their situations. Lucky for them, they weren't typical women. Less character deaths.

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**_A/N: I have finally gotten back to work on this story. My first step was to thoroughly edit all my chapters and then to continue. If you have read this before, there have been considerable changes made. If you are new to this story, I hope you enjoy._**

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**Chapter 1:** Too Little Men To Harm

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"Aleath," Raine called from behind the sheer fabric that veiled the entrance of Aleath's quarters. "They are here."

With a heavy sigh, Aleath stood from her chair. She had been waiting for this day to come. Time ran its course quickly when the arriving circumstances were those not looked forward to. Walking determinedly around her bedroom, Aleath pulled a brown tunic on over her undergarments and tightly laced her dark trousers. She strapped her sword and daggers into place, simultaneously slipping her slender feet into her boots.

"How far away?" she asked her friend and scout.

"They should arrive within a quarter of an hour," Raine replied, tightening the leather bindings on her wrists.

Aleath exited her bedroom and followed Raine to the highest peak in their village. It was perfect to keep a lookout against any unwelcome visitors. They could see the approaching Roman soldiers clearly from this point. She could feel the disgust coursing through her veins, bile threatening to rise up through her throat and out her mouth. It has been too long. It was time to take action against arrogant Romans.

"Ready yourself, friend," Aleath said to her oldest companion. "Have our steeds readied as well. If we succeed, we'll be well on our way to our new home by nightfall. We'll meet them half way."

Raine bowed her head slightly to acknowledge Aleath's words before quickly walking away to get her belongings and horses readied. She reached the tribe's modest stables and lead Iapetus, Aleath's mare, out of her quarters. The horse was rather large and much stronger than the other horses with a golden coat and mane. After she finished preparing Iapetus, Raine moved to ready her own horse, Tethys. Tethys was a wild and mysterious horse much like his rider. She found the horse near a stream a few years ago with a wound on its right hind leg. With care, Raine nursed the creature back to health, showering it with more affection than any other being she had come to know.

In the mean time, Aleath had made her way to her father's quarters. Her father, Telesto, was a man that the entire tribe had come to know as their leader. He was at the later years of his life, with his hair gray and features wrinkled and marred by scars from his own servitude to Rome. Being a man blessed with skill in combat, he had trained all of his children effectively in the art of swordsmanship and hand to hand combat. Unfortunately, all of his sons had now passed into the halls of their forefathers, dying honourably in combat for a country that was not their own. His daughter was all he had left.

"Father," Aleath said softly but swiftly as she entered her father's meagre quarters. "May I request an audience with you?"

"Come now Lea, you know very well that you need not ask," Telesto nodded with a smile, gesturing his daughter into the room with his aging but capable hands. "I always enjoy my daughter's company."

Aleath took the seat that stood empty before her father and bowed her head, not looking forward to spoiling her father's good mood. She gripped the arms of her chair as she struggled to find the right words to deliver to her father. He had already lost most of his children, but she knew she had to do this.

"The Romans have come for the boys," Aleath began unsteadily. "And as much as I have told that I understood, I cannot and will not let them take the children."

The smile on Telesto's features faded into a deep frown. He stood and paced his quarters slowly, hands clasped at his back. Telesto knew this day would come. His daughter loved her tribe too much to sit idly by and do nothing and Romans continued to take from them.

"What do you intend to do, Lea?" Telesto questioned, "We are bound by an agreement that is nearly seventy decades old. Sarmatians will serve the Romans. There is nothing we can say or do to make that change. To believe otherwise is foolish."

Finally raising her head to look her father in the eye, Aleath said, "There is one thing, father. One thing that no one has ever considered and much less thought of. Another agreement to put it simply, a negotiation."

"And what negotiation is this?" Telesto asked, not entirely certain if he was ready to hear his daughter's plan.

"I have spoken with Raine," Aleath said softly, "And she is willing to go in the boys' stead. We are going to go in their place and serve along with the other knights."

"One ridiculous idea after the other, Lea," Telesto said, shaking his head slowly. "The Roman's will not take women."

Aleath and Raine were both still relatively young at the ages of twenty-five and twenty-seven and yet they were very well versed in combat. Many times they have ridden out alongside him to protect the village against raiders and the like, proving their accountability as warriors. As knights. Had they been men, they would be finishing their term of service as knights for the Romans.

"Is there anything I can say or do to change your mind?" Telesto asked hopelessly. He had lost his five sons and was not willing to lose his last child and only daughter.

"I am afraid that I have my will set, father," Aleath said with a sad smile. "Raine and I are to ride out as soon as I finish saying my goodbyes to you."

"Well then, if there is nothing I can do to stop you," Telesto spoke, walking to a chest that lay at the food of his bed. He opened the chest and drew out a finely crafted sword. "This sword was given to me by my father as it was given to him by his father. None of your late brothers have had the chance to wield Encaladus, but I feel that you are as capable and I believe you will make me proud."

Aleath accepted the sword, holding it gingerly in her cold hands. With nothing more to say between father and daughter, Aleath kissed her father's brow before exiting the room. She spotted Raine dressed in a dark indigo high neck tunic, black trousers and black boots. The upper portion of her dark raven hair had been expertly braided and the rest bound to prevent conflict with her line of vision. Her sword was strapped to her back alongside her boy and quiver with daggers and throwing knives strapped onto the saddle of her horse.

"Have you said your farewells?" Aleath questioned and they mounted their horses, eyes to the horizon.

"No need," Raine said coldly, "I have no one to part from."

They urged their horses forward into a gallop. The Roman's were still a fair bit away from the village. Better for the two women as the farther the soldiers were from their tribe, the easier it would be to negotiate. Both women stopped at a clearing.

"These Roman's travel slower than I could have imagined," Raine smirked.

Aleath laughed at the inefficiency of the so called mighty Roman Empire. The distance between both parties, however, quickly closed. At their arrival, the Roman's looked questioningly at the pair. They inched their way closer, unsure of what to expect. But what was there to fear? They were just women, after all.

The two women stood their ground as Aleath raised her hand out and called loudly, "You will go no further."

The Roman soldiers laughed while others hollered degrading words at them. They were irritating, far beyond compare. One pervert dared come close and attempt to pull Raine off of Tethys' back. The man failed when Raine pulled out one of her knives and sank it deep into the man's neck. The jeering and laughter came to a halt as soldier fell to ground, limp and lifeless.

"Come now, Raine. Save your blood lust for later," Aleath muttered as the soldiers began to draw their weapons.

"Your young come with us, whether you wish it or not!" The leader of the pack came forward. "Now be gone and go trouble someone else."

Raine made a move for an arrow and her bow but was stopped when Aleath drew her hand up with a signal to stop. Calmly, the scout brought her hands back down to the reigns of her mount.

"We are here to come to an agreement, sir. Nothing more and nothing less," Aleath said.

"And what might that agreement be, my lady," the Roman said, words dripping with sarcasm.

There were already a rather large number of Sarmatian boys with the soldiers. They watched their kinsmen intently, wondering as to what they might have in store for the Romans. One of the boys laughed from behind his long hair. He knew that Sarmatian women were tough. The Romans had a surprise in store for them.

"As many of your soldiers as you like, against me and my friend in hand to hand combat," Aleath spoke fearlessly. "Should you defeat us, then you are free to take the boys from our tribe. Should you be defeated however, you will leave this area and take us instead."

The Romans chuckled but behind them the Sarmatian boys smiled upon Aleath and Raine, silent hopes with them.

"Two women are no threat to us," the man said finally.

"Well if we are of no threat to you, then you should have neither fears nor any hesitation to fight us," Aleath said, dismounting Iapetus and disarming as Raine followed suit. "Either way, you win."

The Roman hesitated slightly, sitting rigidly atop his horse. Raine and Aleath continued to disarm themselves as they waited for Roman soldiers to do so as well. The man who had spoken many times earlier had his face set tight. He signalled for six men to disarm themselves. Like sheep , six men did as they were told and began to advance upon the two Sarmatian women. They were cautious for Aleath had a confidence about her that was daunting and Raine's cold and calculating appearance was thoroughly unsettling.

"I am afraid then, ladies, that you will be begging me to reconsider by the time my men are through with you."

Raine smirked and said in a cold voice, "You speak so confidently and yet you yourself have not offered to fight us. All talk and no action."

Obviously annoyed, the soldiers steadily crept closer. They split in half, three heading for Aleath and the rest heading for Raine.

"This hardly seems fair," Raine spoke again in between wickedly amused laughter. "There are hardly enough men to satisfy my blood lust."

Aleath snickered and ducked an approaching fist. Swiftly, she grabbed onto one of the soldiers capes and pulled him, with more force than she looked to possess, into his comrade. Their heads collided as punched the third man square in the nose, pleased to hear the sound of breaking cartilage. With the heel of her foot, Aleath kicked him sharply in the temple, knocking him unconscious. She turned in time to see the other two soldiers rise and continue their attack. Aleath delivered a sharp kick to the man's nether regions and moved to grab the other by the neck. She lifted herself up and kicked the now kneeling man on the side of his face with boy feet. The man that she had grabbed onto successfully threw Aleath over his shoulder, causing her to fall painfully to the ground.

Shaking the pain from her body quickly, Aleath swiped the man's feet from below with a swift round-a-bout kick to the back of his knees. He fell, back first, and earned a quick punch to the face from Aleath's clenched fist. She stood clapping her hands as if to remove dirt from her hands before turning to see how her friend was faring. Not too badly, she observed, as one of the men were already unconscious face down on the ground and the other swaying in a daze as if drunk.

"Taking your sweet time, Raine?" Aleath called over jovially, before turning to the soldiers' superior.

The man looked irate but baffled with the two women. When the man before Raine swung his fist clumsily, Raine took the opportunity to hit him with two of her fingers at three separate pressure points in quick succession. One after the other, she hit him behind the other, in between the neck and chin and at the man's right temple. The soldier swayed, eyes rolling back before dropping to the ground. Finishing the grapple, they looked up to the Roman still on his horse.

"I believe you've just acquired to very capable women to your party," Aleath said, mocking him with a smile as she began to strap her weapons back onto her body.

"Mimas," a soldier who was keeping an eye on the boys called, sounding like he had no desire to travel with any women.

"So the bastard has a name," Raine sniggered as she started replacing all of her weaponry. 'you might want to tie your soldiers to their horses. They're not waking up any time soon."

Mimas' eyes quickly darted over the limp bodies of his men, grunting in defeat.

--

It took them close to three months to reach the Hadrian Wall. Often during their journey, Raine had ridden ahead to hunt for good food to feed the Sarmatian boys, leaving the Romans to hunt for their own meals. Upon reaching the wall, they had received many stares and questioning looks. After all, it was uncommon to see two women riding with Roman soldiers and future knights. It was when they were within the safe perimeter of the wall that they were greeted by their new superior: Artorius Castus"

"There is something different about this Roman," Raine had said quietly to Aleath, "He does not look like a Roman either.

Aleath nodded in agreement as they dismounted their horses. Arthur walked forward to examine the new company.

"By what honour do we receive these ladies, Mimas," Arthur asked as his knights soon came to join him. "The boys are lacking in numbers as well, are they not?"

"We come in the stead of those boys," Aleath spoke, cutting Mimas off before he could speak. "I Am tired of seeing families lose their children because of forced duty to a country not of their own."

"Though your intentions are noble," Arthur said, "I'm afraid women do not belong on a battlefield."

He looked to Raine and noticed that she bore a strange likeliness to Tristan before his attention was averted back to Aleath.

"Well, Sir Arthur," Aleath said, her face firm. "Typical and stereotypical women do not belong on a battlefield. You will find that my friend and I do not fit the description of a woman that you have come to accept. There may be women who are content with being kept in a household, making meals and caring for their children and husbands. I however, assure you that my companion and I are not one of those women."

Straightening her back, Raine moved a bit and watched as the knights smiled at Aleath's words. With Aleath seeming to be at a loss to continue her speech, Raine finished it for her, surprising them all with words that no one had expected from her.

"Let us prove our worth to you," she said eloquently. "Should we fail to meet the standards that you set for us, I give you my word that we will depart with no further question."

Arthur looked to her and thought for a moment before speaking, "Done. When the time comes, we shall see your capabilities and worth. If you prove yourselves to be able to serve as knights then you stay. My friends and fellow warriors will help me make this decision."

As Arthur introduced each of his knights, they nodded to each of their respective names. Raine's eyes lingered on each of them for a bit, taking in their appearances and making general assumptions. Aleath then introduced herself and Raine, knowing that her scout would probably not introduce herself.

Tristan, being the scout he was, had done a lot of examining like Raine. He had first observed Aleath and came to a quick conclusion. She seemed to be head strong, stubborn and most probably had a quick tongue to match wit that would, at times, cause her trouble. Her long golden hair was a shade darker than Gawain's and her eyes a deep ocean blue. And then there was her friend who had hair darker than his own and eyes of deep and almost unfeeling gray. Against her slightly pale skin, he spotted a tattoo similar to his own on her cheek and a scar just above her left eyebrow. She seemed to be very much like him, having very little need to speak any words and with observant eyes darting to her surroundings.

Looking around at his friends, he had noticed Gawain taking an interest in the golden haired female. Galahad too had taken interest in one of the women, but it was not Aleath, rather it was the silent and mysterious Raine that had captured his attention. The two women had been assigned temporary chambers and accommodated with food to satisfy their hunger.

Their worth as knights would be proven much sooner than they had expected.

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_**A/N: This is the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Please don't forget to leave a review. **_


	2. II: The Better of Two Kisses

**Hyperion**

**Author: **The Holy See

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**Summary:** Tired of seeing the young of their tribe taken to serve Rome, Aleath and her silent friend Raine issue a negotiation with Roman soldiers. With negotiations going better than expected, they are led to serve Arthur and fight alongside his knights. Typically, women did not belong in their situations. Lucky for them, they weren't typical women. Less character deaths.

* * *

_**A/N: I have finally gotten back to work on this story. My first step was to thoroughly edit all my chapters and then to continue. If you have read this before, there have been considerable changes made. If you are new to this story, I hope you enjoy.**_

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**Chapter 2:** The Better of Two Kisses

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The frost bit at each and every one of the knights, whipping at their faces painfully and clouding their vision. They sat around the fire, which, considering the weather they were experiencing, was large. They huddled close to each other, with their cloaks wrapped tightly around them. Gawain muttered complaints about the weather under his breath as they all, save Raine, took meagre sips from their ale once in a while.

It had been four whole years since Raine and Aleath had been accepted into the group as knights. Though sceptical at first, the men soon welcomed them with open arms and formed strong and doubtless friendships. They shared with the others the pains of losing comrades in battle or to sickness. Raine, who did not take well to such situations, became, if possible, even more stoic than before. Aleath had been rather taken with Gawain, Lancelot and Galahad. Gawain for his kindness and flirtatious nature, Lancelot for his over whelming self confidence and unlimited wit and humor, and Galahad for his childlike behaviour and seemingly innocent actions.

Raine had formed friendships of her own but as was expected from a person of her being, she never spoke of them and neither did the knights. They knew that they could rely on her to be there when needed and in turn, she could rely on them. There have been occasions when Raine would laugh and smile, adding comments to their numerous conversations. However, unless she was excessively drunk, Raine did tend to keep to herself and express any emotions through small facial expressions. Arthur was sometimes baffled with all the things she and Tristan had in common such as their thirst for battle and contentedness as scouts. They even shared a preferred company to animals. Raine had a curious relationship with Dagonet. There was no romance involved in it, Raine had just never been blessed with siblings nor did she have a family. To meet someone like Dagonet had lit a special family love in her that she had shared with no one. Not even Aleath.

Aleath's friendship with Raine was still strong, if not more powerful than before. Being the older of the two, Raine had become accustomed to watching over Aleath. After all, Raine's father had died while serving Telesto as a scout and a friend. Who was to say that the same thing wouldn't happen to Raine? In fact, she had come to expect that she would meet her death in battle. Aleath, who had known that she had a guardian angel, or something of the like, never feared riding into battle. As for their superior, Arthur, they both had a great respect for him. He was different, like Raine had said four years prior. He believed all men to be equal while others believed in rank and power.

"Damn weather," Gawain had muttered for the hundredth time and causing Aleath to roll her eyes.

"If you say one more thing about this damn weather," Aleath threatened, shivering visibly. "I swear. It's bad enough that we've been sent on such a stupid mission. They have hundreds of soldiers. Why send us to fetch one measly priest?"

Raine rose from her seat in between Arthur and Tristan, leaving her untouched bottle of ale by the fire. Removing her cloak, she set it over Aleath's already cloaked body, granting her more of the warmth that she sought. Aleath looked to her friend surprised but gave a nod of thanks. With no response, Raine went to sit this time in between Dagonet and Tristan. Dagonet pulled Raine closer and shared his cloak with her, draping it over her shoulders.

"Spoil this one anymore and you'd soon be dead," Bors laughed loudly, gesturing to Aleath as he spoke.

Lancelot and Arthur threw more wood into the flames in an effort to make their companions warmer. I a while, some of them would have to go and hunt for dinner. Tristan and Dagonet usually took care of that being the most skilled when it came to hunting game. Tristan's hawk was an added advantage seeing as it was a game bird, first and foremost. Lancelot began a story and the others resolved to listen intently to him. Tristan picked up Raine's ale and handed it to her.

"You should drink it," he said, not looking up from the knives he was sharpening. "It will help warm you up."

"I have little taste for ale, Tristan," Raine replied. "You should know that well."

Tristan gave Dagonet an unidentifiable look and soon Dagonet took the ale and placed it firmly into Raine's half gloved hands. Raine held the bottle questioningly. Dagonet had normally left Raine to her own devices, but this time, he had to agree with Tristan.

"Drink," Dagonet said, "He is right. Since you blithely refuse to use your cloak, drink the ale to keep you warm. You are no use to use if you are sick."

"Lea needs the cloak more than I do," Raine replied, focusing her eyes on the dancing flames before her.

"At least she drinks her ale," Dagonet argued. He had knowledge of the duty that Telesto had set for the scout. "Your watch over her can only go so far, Raine. She is a grown woman and able to care for herself no matter what her father has held you to. Let me also point out that you have come to be thinner than the young Aleath."

"Drink," Tristan said again.

Giving into the demands of her friends, Raine drank the liquid, the foreign taste forcing its way down her throat. Bors' booming laughter averted their attention and they came to find a very disturbed Galahad and three obviously drunk men. Gawain, in the midst of his laughter, had clung onto Aleath for support. Arthur met Raine's questioning gaze with a smile.

"One would think that they would save the drunken festivities for the wall, wouldn't you?" Arthur laughed, "Apparently it is a tradition to be upheld where ever we may be."

Lancelot lifted his bottle of ale high in the air and cried words of no meaning nor coherence before finishing the remainder of his drink in a large gulp. Tristan shook his head with the beginnings of a small smile on his lips before nodding to Dagonet. Dagonet rose, leaving his skins on Raine's shoulders.

"We'll be back in a while with our meat," Dagonet said and received an appreciative nod from Arthur.

"Take your skins, Dagonet," Raine said insistently. "You'll be leaving the comforts of fire."

Knowing he would not win this battle, Dagonet, with much reluctance, took the skins from Raine and set off along with Tristan, bow in hand. Aleath had made some movement to return Raine's cloak to her. The scout ignored her though and whistled. Tethys trotted over and slowly lowered himself next to Raine. Raine took the blanket from Tethys' back, knowing the steed could sufficiently warm itself. Wrapping herself in the cloth, Raine leaned against Tethys, content.

The following morning, Arthur had awoken his knights quickly. They were to continue their search for a priest that the pope had held in high esteem. Once this task was completed, they were to escort the priest back to the wall unscathed where he would wait for his own transport back to Rome. Gawain rose drowsily, with a pounding headache, stumbling over objects once or twice. Dagonet, who had already begun packing their belongings, would glare with irritation at Gawain when he knocked over a few bedrolls that he had already neatly rolled up. Arthur saw Raine and Tristan, the first two up and ready to go, beckoning them to him.

"Tristan, ride ahead with Raine," Arthur said to the two scouts. "Find a clear path for us to travel on, as I have no desire to go into combat with the Woads."

Lancelot chuckled behind Arthur, "You spoil their fun Arthur. It would be far more pleasing for the two if you sent them ahead to kill all the Woads before we got there. Easier for us, enjoyable for them."

Tristan smiled, playing with the apple in his hands as Raine smirked, her hair freshly braided.

Galahad laughed, "I'm afraid that Lancelot's words are true."

"So much laughter in the morning," Arthur smiled, "May this be a good sign?"

"Laughter is always a good sign, Arthur," Aleath said, strapping her sword to her back. "No matter what our situation may be, it is always a good thing."

They all smiled and nodded at the truth behind Aleath's statement.

"Go on then," Gawain said, now fully awake, "Go and hunt some Woads."

Galahad picked up a spear that he had crudely fashioned the previous evening as Tristan and Raine mounted their horses. He threw it casually to Raine who caught it easily with a small smile. Nudging his hawk ever so slightly, Tristan let it take flight and rode off with Raine watching for the path he would take.

"Don't hurt yourself, boy," Raine said, causing Galahad to laugh good naturedly. "And you Gawain. Try to take your eyes off of Lea for at least the remainder of the day. One can't fight enemies with eyes on the wrong target."

Dagonet snorted softly along with Lancelot as Gawain stared back at Raine is a small amount of shock before he looked down and resumed arming himself.

"I think that's the most I've ever hear you talk, Raine," Aleath glared at Raine.

"Let's hope we won't have to get used to it," Bors commenting, turning his back.

A sharp pain near the bottom of his neck and chuckles from his companions' mouths made him wince and turn. Raine, had thrown a well aimed pebble at the back of Bors' neck, was riding away quickly to catch up Tristan.

"That woman's going to get herself killed one day," Bors muttered, causing even more laughter.

"We should have a moment of silence for the Woads to come across those two," Lancelot joked, nudging his head towards the woods as he saddled his horse.

Galahad stretched out and breathed in deeply, "Can you smell that friends?"

"Come now, Galahad," Aleath said, feeding Iapetus an apple, "Bors doesn't smell that terrible. Give him a long and decent bath and I'd bet that he'd actually smell quite lovely. Of course his very manly odour does count against him."

Bors grumbled some more as Galahad said in laughter, "No that's not what I meant, though you do pose a very good point. Only a few more months and we are free of all duties to Rome. I've been waiting so long for such a thing and in a small amount of time, we'll have our freedom."

Arthur smiled at Galahad's words, "Indeed. Your much awaited freedom will be granted to you. Aleath, I have arranged for you and Raine to be withheld of any further duty. When your kinsmen go, you are free to do so as well."

Aleath's face filled with longing for home as she raised her head to look up at the bright sky, stained with orange from the rising sun. She breathed the frosty air in deeply and said softly, "I long to see the rolling hills of Sarmatia. I have been filled with longing to be reunited with my father as of late. You men have been here longer than I. I cannot fathom what you must be feeling."

"I have no longing for home," Gawain spoke, fixing his belongings on his horse, "It is Galahad that longs for home."

The knights mounted their horses and began their journey once more, following the trial that Raine and Tristan had marked with their horses' hooves. The path was quiet but undoubtedly safe as their two scouts had cleared it for them.

"Why is it that you have no wish to return home?" Aleath asked Gawain as they rode onwards side by side.

"I know not," Gawain replied. "The answer to that question has long eluded me."

"Have you seen the eastern borders of Sarmatia? Where the seventh and fourth tribes dwell?" Aleath questioned, eyes set intently on the handsome golden haired knight.

"I cannot confirm that I have, I'm afraid," Gawain replied with a small smile.

Laughter set into Aleath's voice, "That settles it then. When we are free of our duty, you will travel with me to the eastern tribes of Sarmatia."

"Then I look forward to it," Gawain said, turning to look deep into the blue eyes of his companion before adding, "My lady."

Aleath lowered her head, looking down as she shied away from Gawain's searching eyes for the first time. Nudging Iapetus slightly, she urged her horse into a trot. Gawain watched her ride off and nudged his own horse to gain on his friend.

--

"Tristan," Raine spoke lowly, "Do you hear them?"

He nodded curtly in response, grabbing hold of his bow and notching it with an arrow. Raine followed suit when the thumping of quick feet drew nearer. Woads were watching them. There were quite a few of them by the sound of it but it was nothing that they both couldn't handle. Tristan beckoned Raine closer and she obeyed, urging her horse up next to his.

"There's a clearing up ahead," Tristan whispered, lips barely moving. "If we ride swiftly enough we can – "

"Draw most of them out and strike them down with our bows," Raine finished for Tristan. "The perfect chance to test Galahad's spear, no matter how crudely made it is."

"At my word," Tristan said, waiting for the most opportune moment. "Now!"

Kicking at their horses' sides, the animals neighed loudly and reared themselves on their hind legs before quickly heading quickly to the clearing. The Woads had fallen for their trap, running out from behind the trees as Raine let go of Tethys' reigns to twist her body around to let loose an arrow. The well aimed arrow hit a Woad square in the chest while Tristan released three more arrows and knocking three more Woads down. A few minutes past saw all Woads on the ground. One lucky Woad had gotten a taste of Galahad's spear. Tristan rode over to a cluster of bodies, pulling his arrows out sharply. He wiped the arrows off on a cloth.

"It would be a shame to leave such finely crafted arrows," he said.

Raine laughed and followed suit, gathering her own arrows.

They had later dismounted their horses to sit on a boulder, awaiting the arrival of Arthur and the rest of their comrades. Until they arrived, the scouts would entertain themselves with a little game of target practice.

--

Arthur squinted. A few objects were hidden by a cluster of trees around them. The snow that had still been falling thickly helped Arthur's vision in no way as they approached. When they had passed the curtain of leaves and branches, Arthur found his two scouts sitting quietly on a large snow covered boulder, enjoying a comfortable silence between them. The knights eyed the bodies and crimson stained snow as they rode closer to their companions.

"Had fun?" Aleath asked Raine and Tristan both.

Raine looked from Aleath to Tristan from behind the curtain of hair that had finally come free from its bindings. Dagonet watched as Tristan turned his head slightly, so as not to be noticed, keeping his gaze on the scout next to him. A small smile etched its way onto Tristan's features once more before he turned his view back to the snow covered ground. Dagonet wondered how long it would take for the silent and stoic scout to realize that his hawk was no longer the only living creature with claim to his affections and attention.

From the clearing, they continued their ride. The home of this priest was close now and the sooner they retrieved the priest, the sooner they would be at the comforts of the wall. They had gotten the priest back to the Hadrian Wall safely and much quicker than anyone had anticipated. Most of this, however, was thanks in large part to Aleath who had developed an irritation with the priest and begged Arthur for continuous travel. The evening of their return, the knights spent their time the way they always did, lounging around at the open courtyard, drinking fine wine which was generously provided by Vanora.

"More wine!" Gawain cried from his seat, "More wine!"

"If you want more wine, go and fetch it from the cellars yourself," Vanora replied, a baby in one arm, a wine jug in the other.

"Vanora, you must be patient with Gawain," Aleath said, planting a kiss on his brow.

"I have been kissed by the most beautiful woman in this land!" Gawain cried. "Ah but my dear Vanora, the cellars are so far away and you keep so much behind your counters."

Gawain sneaked his arm around Aleath's waist and drew her closer to him. Aleath had no objections as she sat down on his lap and leaned her head back to rest against his shoulder. Through most of her days she acted with bravery to match those of the men around her. It wasn't very often that she granted herself a womanly discourse.

"I swear," Vanora mumbled to herself, "If it weren't for your missions and knightly duties, it'd be fat monstrous dogs sitting on these benches."

"Hear that, Gawain?" Lancelot laughed merrily, "We're monstrous dogs!"

"Don't forget fat," Galahad jeered.

Gawain laughed loudly and stood, dragging Lancelot to stand with him. They raised the jugs of wine that they both held high into the air.

"Brave knights," Gawain cried, "Lady knights included! Which two of you dares to challenge us, the monstrous and most good looking men of the lot!"

Galahad chuckled before sipping his wine. Unfortunately, Bors hadn't had enough sense to do the same, spewing his ale all over Aleath's chest and face. She wiped at her face with disgust and rose from her seat. Lancelot and Gawain cheered loudly, taking Aleath's rise from the bench as an acceptance of their challenge. They cried out compliments as Aleath, bewildered, patted at the stains on her tunic.

"Oh fine," Aleath sighed, "I will accept your challenge under the condition that we fight at the mud pits."

"Agreed," Gawain called, raising his jug higher still, "And who, dear lady, shall be your partner?"

Aleath turned to Raine with a hopeful look but received only a shake of the head from Raine.

"I'm sorry Lea," she said from where she leaned on the wall, next to Dagonet. "I'm not nearly drunk enough to go and throw myself into a mud pit wearing my best tunic."

"That's your best tunic?" Bors laughed.

He received another sharp pain from the back of his neck. He turned quickly and glared at Raine, catching a glimpse from a perfectly round, white pebble sitting on the ground before him.

"Do you keep pebbles in your pocket?!" Bors demanded.

Raine only smiled in response as Aleath turned to the only other obvious choice as a partner. All heads turned to Galahad who was chewing on a piece of bread. He look up, inquiring as to the attention he was currently receiving. One look at Aleath and he knew.

"Oh no," he said, shaking his head when he finally caught on, "No, Lea, I'm not doing it."

"Galahad, please," Aleath pleaded.

"I nearly forgot," Gawain said, "The winners each get a nice, long and passionate kiss from the opponent of their choosing."

Eyes wide, Aleath frantically struck a bargain with Galahad. None of their friends heard of what the agreement way as Aleath had whispered it all into Galahad's ears. However, whatever the deal was, Galahad smiled widely and stood, taking Aleath's hand and led the way to mud pits. There was an air of determination about Galahad that could only promise an interesting show down. Bors, being himself, made predictions about the outcome as they followed four 'competitors'. He had ruled in favour of Gawain and Lancelot's win, underestimating Aleath and Galahad.

"I'm not so certain with your predictions, friend," Raine commented, "Galahad seems to be driven by what Lea has said to him. Perhaps we should consider their victory as well."

A cold gust of wind blew past them. Seeing Raine shiver slightly in her thin tunic, Dagonet removed his large coat and placed it gently on his friends' shoulders. She nodded in silent thanks, drawing the coat tighter to herself. Behind them, Tristan quickly replaced the jerkin that he had begun to remove from his own body, Dagonet beating him to what they both had in mind. He wiped the disappointed look from his face and continued walking behind them. They reached the mud pits soon and upon their arrival, Lancelot had pulled a discarded wooden plank from the side and set it evenly across the pit.

"A test of balance and skill," Lancelot said smiling widely as he let Gawain pass him and step onto the plank. "Ladies first, I'm afraid. Come Lea, face our brave Gawain."

Aleath stepped to the opposite end of the board and together, Gawain and Aleath walked to the middle of the plank, readying their selves for hand to hand combat. Gawain took a step forward and made to grab Aleath by the waist. His competitor took a step back and with as much balance she could muster, lifted her right foot and kicked Gawain hard. Gawain lost his balance for a bit but did not fall.

"Show that woman what you're made of," Bors cried, urging Gawain to take control.

Gawain didn't need much more encouragement as he stepped forward again and grabbed Aleath's hands. Amidst her struggle against Gawain, she spun around, her back now to Gawain's chest, his free arm tight around her waist.

"That's not so unpleasant is it?" Gawain whispered huskily into Aleath's ear. 'And if you don't mind, we could take that kiss you gave me earlier and perhaps aim a bit lower."

"Of course," Aleath said, edging herself around with a sweet smile, "Unfortunately, I have no intention of losing to you or Lancelot."

With that said, Aleath shoved a rather unprepared Gawain roughly into the mud. The knights broke into laughter as Gawain resurfaced, dripping with mud. Aleath stepped off of the plank with a slight bounce in her steps, bowing to Galahad.

"The plank is all yours."

Galahad and Lancelot had a bit of a time as they wrestled on the plank. Of course, Bors and Gawain's crude comments about Galahads wavering sexuality had made the younger boy hesitant to lay a hand on Lancelot. The ever opportunistic Lancelot, however, made an effort to touch Galahad. His efforts however had led to his own downfall as Galahad shoved him, none too lightly, into the pit. Aleath whooped and ran over to Galahad, jumping onto him, arms raised in glory.

"We won! We beat those arrogant fools!"

Their company laughed at her actions and Galahad put Aleath back down, "You shall fulfil your promise to me now, yes?"

"If I must," Aleath responded.

Aleath brought her body up against Galahads, her slender hands travelling from his waist, up his chest and around his neck. Her left hand cupped Galahad's cheek. From the side, Gawain's jaw dropped and Bors guffawed loudly. A deal was a deal, Aleath had told herself as she brought her lips to meet Galahad's. Galahad took the opportunity to make Gawain jealous, turning his eyes to him as he deepened the kiss. Gawain's scowl grew until Aleath broke their kiss, took Bors' ale and finished it up.

"You look quite perturbed, my friend," Lancelot smirked at Gawain.

"I can't help but feel as if Galahad got the better of the kisses this evening," Gawain muttered. He smiled carelessly a few seconds afterwards, jealousy slipping off of his shoulders. "I think I must go and request a kiss such as that to satisfy myself."

"By all means, claim your woman!" Lancelot cried with laughter.

Galahad, Lancelot, Raine, Tristan, Bors and Dagonet, watched with amusement as Gawain ran to catch up with Aleath, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and whispering a few chosen phrases into her ear. They all knew how attracted they were to each other and yet it was amusing to watch Gawain try and woo Aleath fruitlessly.

"It will take Aleath a while to fully realize that she does want to be with him," Rain said with a small smile, "And I believe myself to be drunk."

"I believe you to be drunk as well," Dagonet smiled.

"I think that our young Aleath has captured Gawain's heart as well," Lancelot spoke. "How long has it been Bors?"

"Since Gawain bedded a woman?" Bors asked nonchalantly, "Nearing several months now, I believe."

"That's quite a while for Gawain," Tristan commented.

"Indeed," Galahad agreed. "How long do you think it will take them?"

"I'd give it a month," Bors said.

"Three weeks," Lancelot wagered.

"A month and a half," Galahad said with confidence.

Raine took swig of her wine, "Two months."

"It seems we have a wager then," Lancelot said, "What does the winner get?"

"The satisfaction of winning," Tristan said obviously, before bidding his friends goodnight and leaving to seek refuge within his quarters.

Raine looked to Dagonet, "I must bid you all goodnight as well. I am tired my hands are a bit sore this evening."

They nodded to Raine in response and Dagonet took his coat back from Raine's outstretched arm. Dagonet stared worriedly at Raine's retreating form. The pain that she spoke about had been plaguing her for nearly half a year now. Dagonet feared that if she did not properly treat her hands and kept going as she had been the chances of Raine losing the use of one of her hands would grow.

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_**A/N: Second chapter re-edited. Lovely! See you all in the next chapter.**_


	3. III: Tristan's Effort

**Hyperion**

**Author: **The Holy See

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**Summary: **Tired of seeing the young of their tribe taken to serve Rome, Aleath and her silent friend Raine issue a negotiation with Roman soldiers. With negotiations going better than expected, they are led to serve Arthur and fight alongside his knights. Typically, women did not belong in their situations. Lucky for them, they weren't typical women. Less character deaths.

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_**A/N: I have finally gotten back to work on this story. My first step was to thoroughly edit all my chapters and then to continue. If you have read this before, there have been considerable changes made. If you are new to this story, I hope you enjoy.**_

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**Chapter 3: **Tristan's Effort

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"As promised," Gawain spoke as the knights sat atop their horses, watching a small Roman caravan roll over the grassy terrain of Britain. "The bishop's carriage."

"Our freedom, Bors," Galahad spoke with a longing smile.

They all shared smiled as Bors lifted his head and breathed in the early morning air.

"Ah," he signed, "I can almost taste it."

He nodded to Dagonet who smiled his rare smile in turn. Raine closed her eyes, the longing within her obvious to Tristan. Her gray eyes scanned the perimeter.

"You seek freedom?" Tristan asked his companion, not bothering to look at her.

"Do you not?" Raine asked in return, looking at her male counterpart through the corner of her eye.

"It makes no difference to me," he replied, watching the caravan make its progress. "You didn't answer my question, though."

"Though I wished to spare my tribe of further anguish at the loss of their sons," Raine said slowly with slight emotion, "I did not like entertaining the idea of inevitably giving up my freedom. The idea of Roman's having claim over my life was upsetting. My loyalty to Lea and her father, however, is one that will not falter. I would readily give up my life for either. Knowing that Arthur has arranged for an early discharge for Lea and I both, I can no longer deny how I long for my freedom."

Tristan smirked slightly, glancing at Raine quickly before turning away, "You shall gain your freedom soon enough."

Aleath, who had heard the exchange of words between her friends said, "Yes, very soon, and on the eve of her thirty-first summer past, no less. But first, I'm afraid we must escort this so called holy man to the comforts of the wall."

The knights, including Arthur, had looked to Raine with questions in their eyes, Dagonet and Tristan more so, surprised that she withheld information, such as her date of birth, from them. Being the only family that any of them has ever known, a day as such was a cause for celebration. Would she ever have told them if Aleath had not said it herself? The sound of a fired arrow broke the silence and found its mark in one of the Roman soldiers.

"Woads," Raine said, thankful for the distraction as the ambush began.

Arthur led his knights forward into a frenzy of nearly three dozen Woads. Tristan and Raine both notched bows with three to four arrows, which when released, easily found their marks, beginning the knights' attack on the offending Woads. Arthur ran through many, Excalibur deadly within his grasp, Lancelot alongside him, one of his swords swinging here and there, doing his part. Gawain rushed towards the bishop's carriage, his mace swinging wildly, dealing deadly blows to those in his path.

He looked into the carriage and made certain that the bishop was still alive, or better yet, unharmed. He had taken a quick glance at a rather scared man when a Woad had launched himself onto his horse, arms seizing Gawain's neck and forcing the Knight off of his seat. Gawain quickly seized the Woad's dagger, driving it deep into the man's chest. Bors was having a blast on the other side of the battle, his blades strapped onto his fists and finding the blood it sought in the bodies of unlucky Woads.

Dagonet had fallen into a pond, diving at a couple of Woads, using his body as a weapon. The large knight had made quick work of the forest dwellers before pulling himself out of the water. Tristan had dismounted his horse, executing those who strayed into his path as he swung his oriental fashioned sword in a deadly dance of metal and skin. Galahad, alongside Aleath, were hacking through plenty while Raine had taken to alternating between her bow and a flurry of throwing knives. She had just finished recollecting all of her knives when Arthur had spared a Woad's life.

"A shame you let him live, Arthur," Raine said as they made their way to the carriage, wiping her partially gloved hands on the cape of a dead Roman soldier. "Had you warned me earlier, I could have practiced my aim."

"I believe you've had plenty of practice," Arthur said, shaking his head, Raine's blood lust getting the better of him as they walked towards Bors who stood next to the carriage.

"What a bloody mess this is," he cursed, pulling the drape back for Arthur to see.

"That is not the bishop," Arthur said, walking to the Roman soldier with the most ornate helmet amongst the rest. "I see your military skills are still of use to you, Bishop Germanus."

The bishop and Arthur conversed as the priest, who had previously hidden under the carriage, resurfaced, asking Bors, "What were those creatures?"

"Woads," Bors spoke, "Blue colored devils that feat on Christian flesh. You're not a Christian are you?"

The priest's hands flew together, his body shaking, muttering prayers furiously to his God. Aleath hid her face behind Gawain's shoulders in an attempt to mask her laughter. What a pathetic excuse of a man he must have been to cower from battle.

"What's this?" Bors asked the man, "Does this really work?"

Bors brought his hands together, mocking the priest as he mumbled incoherently. He peaked through half shut eyes up at the sky as if waiting for a voice to speak to him from the heavens above.

"Nothing," Bors concluded, "Must not be doing it right then, eh?"

The knights left the priest's side, chuckling, as they mounted their horses as they gathered around Arthur and Lancelot. Raine was fixing the braids in her hair when Tristan rode up to her, holding out a knife that she had failed to retrieve. She nodded her thanks to Tristan when the bishop addressed them all.

"I was under the impression," the bishop said, "The Woads occupied lands to the north of the wall."

"They do," Arthur replied. "But they occasionally venture south."

"The anticipated withdrawal of Rome from these lands has only increased their daring," Lancelot informed the bishop, sheathing his swords.

The bishop looked around at the company, eyes lingering on Raine and her tattoos and Aleath with her very feminine features.

"So these are the famous Sarmatian knights that we have heard so much about in Rome," Germanus said. "Are Sarmatians so skilled that even their women are suitable for battle?"

"Raine and Aleath are both very capable knights. Their gender does not prove otherwise," Arthur said. "They have proven themselves as knights in countless battles, lasting longer than even Roman soldiers. Their companionship is greatly welcomed by myself and my knights. Worry not Bishop. My knights and I will escort you back to the wall. No harm shall befall you."

"I have no doubt," the bishop spoke, before stepping into his carriage, his priest at his back.

"Dozens don't scare me nearly as much as thousands," the priest quickly said to himself.

"Thousands?" Lancelot asked, an eyebrow raised as his gaze travelled to the forest.

The knights pulled back, travelling far behind the carriage, as they started their journey back to the wall. They sat there for a moment, atop a low hill, watching the bishop's caravan resume its travel.

Bors snickered before saying, "Tonight, I'm going to drink until I can't piss straight."

"You do that every night," Gawain pointed out, not bothering to glance at Bors.

"I never could piss straight," Bors admitted. "There's too much of me to handle, down there. Really, it's like a baby's arm – "

"Holding an apple," they all finished for Bors, hearing the statement too many times to count.

Tristan looked to Bors with an amused grin as the rest laughed jovially. They nudged their horses into a slow trot, steadily catching up the moving caravan. They were fairly certain that there would be no more ambushes on the way back to the wall. All the same, best to keep an eye out.

--

"I do not like this man," Galahad spoke as they neared the Hadrian Wall. "If he is here to discharge us, why doesn't he just give us our papers and be done with it?"

Gawain looked to Galahad, "Is this your happy face?"

Galahad looked back to his friend, surprised at his response. Slowly, Galahad came to laugh as Gawain continued to speak, Bors laughing out loud with him. Behind them, Tristan and Raine rode silently with Aleath trailing in the back with Lancelot and Dagonet.

"Do you still not know the Romans? They'll hold a ceremony before scratching their asses."

"Why don't you just kill him?" Bors suggested, "And then discharge yourself after?"

"I don't kill for pleasure," Galahad retorted, motioning towards Tristan with his head, "Unlike some."

Tristan, who had ridden up to continue alongside Galahad, Bors and Gawain, said, "Well you should try it sometime. You might get a taste for it."

Gawain laughed lightly while Bors added, "It's a part of you, it's in your blood."

"No, no," Galahad claimed in between laughs, "No. As of tomorrow, this was all just a bad memory."

Bors opened his mouth in an 'oh' as Galahad rode slightly ahead of them. Raine listened intently to the conversation as she cleaned her knives. Dagonet rode next to her now as Tristan pulled back a little to ride by them, Aleath urging her force forward to take part in the conversation. Lancelot quickly followed suit.

"I've often thought about what going home would mean after all of this," Gawain said. "What would I do? It's different for Galahad. I have been in this life, longer than the other. So much for home, it's not so clear in my memory."

"Well you speak for yourself," Bors replied. "It's cold back there and everyone I know is dead and buried. Besides, I have, I think, a dozen children."

"Eleven, my dear Bors," Aleath corrected him.

Bors stared for a bit, words escaping him for a bit before continuing, "You listen, when the Roman's leave here, well have the run of all this place. I'll be governor of my own village. Dagonet will be my personal guard and royal ass kisser, won't you Dag?"

From behind, Dagonet did not grant Bors an answer. Rather, he surveyed the wall, as did Gawain, as they neared the gate.

"Other than accompanying Lea to the Eastern borders of Sarmatia as I promised," Aleath smiled at Gawain's words, "The first thing I will do is find a beautiful Sarmatian woman to wed."

"Beautiful Sarmatian woman?" Bors questioned, "Why do you think we left in the first place?"

Raine, silently, though not unseen by Lancelot and Dagonet, opened one of the many concealed pockets in her jerkin and pulled out a perfectly rounded pebble as Bors compared Sarmatian women to cows. With as much force as she could put into a single pebble, Raine hurled the tiny projectile at the same spot she aimed for every time. Gawain laughed as Lancelot rode up next to Bors.

Bors snapped his head to Rain as Tristan said, "You appear to have disrupted the delicate internal balance of our lady companions, Bors."

"What about you Lancelot," Bors said, ignoring Tristan and rubbing at his neck, "What are you plans for home?"

"Well if this woman of Gawain's is as beautiful as he says," Lancelot began, "I expect I'll be spending a lot of time at Gawain's house. His wife will welcome the company."

"I see," Gawain said, eyes squinting in the sunlight. "And what will I be doing?"

"Wondering at your good fortune that all your children look like me," Lancelot said, flashing a toothy grin at Gawain and Bors, who was laughing heartily, before riding ahead to converse with Arthur.

"Is that before or after I hit you with my axe," Gawain said as Lancelot left their company.

Tristan whistled and gazed up into the skies. A few moments later, his hawk circled the skies above them and flew down to land on Tristan's arm. Raine admired the bird as Tristan cooed to his winged companion. Galahad turned to Aleath as she adjusted her hairs bindings.

"What will you do, Lea?"

Aleath thought for a moment before smiling, "Of course, I must honour my promise and show Gawain the secrets of the Eastern borders. Then perhaps I shall rejoin my father and marry a handsome man who is very capable of pleasing me in any way I should desire."

"You are a woman after my own heart, my lady," Gawain laughed, hand to his chest and he brought his body back in a mock swoon.

"Indeed," Galahad laughed as well. "A perfect match, you two would make. A lusty woman in search of a man whore."

Dagonet looked around before saying rather unexpectedly, "I am curious to find out what our silent scouts are to do once they have gained their freedom."

Tristan shrugged. He had not thought about it much before, always intending to die in battle before he would ever have to make plans for a different life. He quickly glanced at Raine, a curious feeling overcoming him before finally answering Dagonet.

"I know not what the future holds for me. I have found reason to think that far ahead."

"And you Raine?" Bors asked, "Will you marry? Have children?"

"I cannot imagine Raine married," Galahad laughed. "It's just unfathomable. As for children, don't even get me started."

"Well Raine, if you want to give parenting a try, just give me a call," Bors joked, scratching at his neck. "I'd be glad to give you one of my bastards to care for."

"As long as I have reason to wield my blade," Raine spoke, ignoring Bors, "I'll be happy. I do not see myself marrying any common man. I haven't felt love for any since..."

They were very curious now, Aleath included. Tristan's ears perked up, listening intently should Raine continue her sentence. Dagonet kept his ears open as well. It was a rare occurrence for Raine to speak of her past. Raine never continued, falling into a strange silence.

"Since what?" Gawain urged.

"Nothing," Raine replied, looking into the horizon. "I am not certain of anything. Where Tethys takes me, I shall go."

With no desire to be plagued by any further questioning, Raine kicked at Tethys' sides, setting him into a gallop. She rode into the safety of the wall before everyone else. Calling for Jols, she handed him Tethys' reigns before walking off quickly in the direction of her chambers. She was eager to bathe herself and forget the painful memories she had not expected to relive during the discussion the knights had earlier. Stepping into the hot water that she had some chamber maids bring in and placed in the tub, Raine relaxed and allowed the pains of her body to be soothed away.

--

_Raine stepped out of the hut, her eyes bright and filled with laughter as her freshly braided hair danced in the cool Sarmatian wind. She was young, only seventeen summers old, her tribe being the last of the Sarmatians that dwelled in the Southern borders. Her tribe was also the last of those that defied the Roman Empire. Raine was strong willed and wild, undoubtedly taking after her father, Orelius, who had travelled to the Eastern lands to rejoin one of his old friends. _

_"Ithuil?" Raine called to a handsome man, relaying tales of old to the enthralled children around him. _

_Ithuil looked up and waved with a smile on his face before finishing the story that he had nearly completed. When the children had dispersed, Ithuil approached her. She was perfection in his eyes. They both looked forward to their wedding the next eve. He opened his arms wide, Raine running into them, excited to be bound to the man she loved. She titled her head upwards, looking into the eyes of the man she loved so much, only to be greeted by a warm kiss on the lips. _

_"How do you fare this day, my lady," Ithuil asked, his arms wrapped tightly around her. _

_"I am well," Raine replied as she buried her face deep into neck, "The boys have begun to respect me now and it pleases me so. One of the older boys, Methias I think his name was, is a good fighter. His skill with the boy is unprecedented. Any better and he'd rival his own instructor."_

_Ithuil laughed good-naturedly, "You are just that great of a teacher. Any boy that refuses to show you the respect that you deserve would no doubt be punished by their parents when they hear word of it. You're stern with them, more so now than before, and that, along with your deeds as a warrior of this tribe, has seeded their respect for you. The respect has always been there, dear one, it merely needed encouragement."_

_Raine smiled as they both walked around their village, watching little girls play with their hand sewn dolls and boys running by, fighting each other with wooden swords. She looked to Ithuil, examining him closely. His hair was a very dark shade of brown, almost the color of her own hair. His eys were a mysterious shade of indigo. He was a man of great skill with blades, his strength great and knives always finding their marks with ease. Had his parents not fled from their village long before, Ithuil would have been seated amongst those boys, riding to Briton, leaving their loved ones. It was a blessing that he was there to help protect the tribe and to shower Raine with endless love. _

_Tomorrow they would wed. Tomorrow, Raine and Ithuil would become husband and wife. Tomorrow, the sparrow and the wolf would be joined, becoming one. And tomorrow, a woman's happiness would be taken away from her grasp, identity marred forever._

--

Stoic gray eyes became even colder as Raine drew herself from her now cold bath. The pain in those memories had become the bricks that she used to build a wall around heart. On occasion, a portion of her wall would be torn down, allowing her true self to peek out once in a while. But it never lasted long, tragedy would strike or Raine would catch it and quickly, her walls were back up again.

There was a hammer that worked relentlessly to fully tear her wall down. It was the knights; knights that had grown on Raine, rooting themselves deeply within her spirit, unwilling to let go. Dagonet was especially unwilling to relinquish any hold on Raine. Behind all of this ruckus, however, was a stealthy chisel that worked endlessly against a weakened area of Raine's wall. A tiny chisel that worked day and night, easily wearing away layers and layers of such a might wall. It sought the beauty hidden behind such a fortress. That tiny chisel took form in a man that shared many traits with the stoic Raine. A man stoic in his own sense. A man they called Tristan.

--

_Fire. That was all she could see. Not a moment after Raine and Ithuil were wed, Roman soldiers had come from the south, attacking everything, shooting flamed arrows at huts, killing those who got in the way of the power and submission they demanded. The Sarmatian men fought tirelessly, unyielding to the wishes of the raiders. Raine was about to throw herself into the fray as well when a strong arm took hold of hers. _

"_No!" Ithuil cried out, his face covered with the blood that he had spilled. "I will not have you risking your life."_

"_Look around you, Ithuil," Raine cried, "People are drying, the women raped and killed. Innocent children's lives ended. I will not sit back and watch these people perish!"_

"_No Raine," Ithuil shouted back, "It is your turn to look around. We are outnumbered, ten to one. I do not doubt your skills, dear one, but you cannot do this. I love you far too much to even consider it."_

"_It is inevitable that I fight," Raine argued. _

"_It is not," Ithuil's voice shook slightly. _

_Raine searched his eyes, looking for an answer, the meaning behind his words. She found none in his eyes and dared to ask what he meant. She dreaded the answer she was to receive. Ithuil whistled and soon enough his horse came galloping forward, necessities all packed and strapped to the horse along with Raine's weaponry. _

"_Get on the horse," Ithuil whispered. Raine shook her head slowly in refusal. "Get on the damn horse, Raine!"_

_Raine cringed and unwillingly obeyed her husband. Ithuil reached up, cupping Raine's face in his hands. He pulled her low enough for him to kiss her one last time. _

"_Ride, Raine," Ithuil said with finality. "Ride to the Easter tribes and find a life with your father."_

_Ithuil pulled out a small rolled bundle from his inner tunic. His throwing knives, Raine noted, as he placed them in her hands. "Take these," he said, "I will no longer need them."_

"_Hush," Raine scolded, "Don't speak that way. I will see you there."_

"_I want you find someone, Raine. Find someone who you know will you love you as much, if not more, that I could have ever loved you," Ithuil turned his head sharply hearing the soldiers approaching. "Ride!"_

_He hit the horse sharply in the rear, Raine's protests lost in the sea of battle cries. The horse rushed away from the fray quickly. Ithuil took one last look at the woman he had just made his wife. _

"_I love you, Raine," Ithuil whispered before turning and with a loud battle cry, throwing himself into the mass of Roman soldiers. _

_Raine had reached a safe distance in which she could still the events of the battle. She watched with anger, pain, but mostly disbelief, as one by on eher friends, her brothers and her students fell to the ground dead. Her heart stopped and wrenched when Ithuil was pierced through the heart by an arrow. Raine thought she had cried out, but she didn't remember hearing any sound escape her lips. That night, she shed her last tears, vowing that those were the last tears she would ever shed. When the soldiers cleared the area, Raine rode back to the shattered village and fetched Ithuil's body. She burned the body of her lover, just like he had always wished to be done, and threw his ashes into the wind. She saved a bit of his ashes which she threw into a mix of dark indigo dye which she used to tattoo herself. Three claw like marks on her left cheek, just below her eye. With that tattoo, she carried a part of Ithuil with her forever._

_Raine travelled east, just like Ithuil had wished for her to do, and there she met her father's friend, Telesto, and his daughter, Aleath. The pair had told her with sadness that her father died honourably, defending the tribe against raiders. Like her father before her, Raine remained in the east, living with Telesto and his tribe, serving him as her father had done so. She had gained a student in Aleath, who, though was not much younger than Raine, wished more than anything to be well versed in the art of combat. She was head strong and careless, letting her emotions get the best of her, but she was a quick learner. When the last of Telesto's sons had died, he asked Raine a favor. He asked her, with silent pleas, to watch over Aleath when he could not, and teach her when he was unable to do so himself. Without much hesitation, Raine agreed. She had nothing left to lose. _

_--_

In the years to come, Raine took to scouting, training herself to possess a sharper vision and heightened sense of hearing. She was more aware of her surroundings than anyone else she knew, familiarizing herself with foreign territory quickly.

It was dark when a knock on her quarter's door shook Raine from her thoughts. She quickly dressed herself and went to answer. She found Aleath at the doorstep, free of armor and thick clothing. Aleath smiled warmly at her friend.

"Arthur requests our presence at the tablehalf an hour's time," she said.

Raine nodded to Aleath to show her understanding, waiting for her friend to leave before closing the door. She moved to her bed and retrieved a salve that she had made herself, applying it to her hands before pulling her leather bindings back onto her hands. A few minutes later, there was another knock on Raine's door. She rose to answer the door, though this time, instead of seeing Aleath as she had expected, she came face to face with Tristan.

"What is it that you need?" Raine asked, still distracted from any substantial thought.

She noticed a rather large bundle in Tristan's arms. Its contents shifted slightly.

He shook his head to say no, "You didn't tell me that you were born on this date. I find it surprising that even Dagonet had no knowledge of today's significance."

"My business is my own," Raine replied, "Another year added to my life is hardly of any importance."

"Have you not learned of our traditions from the years that you have been with us, Raine?" Tristan questioned lightly. "To the knights, a birth date is a cause to celebrate the existence of a comrade."

Tristan moved the bundle in Raine's arms. She took it, surprised at the warmth within the cloth. Pulling its covers away, Raine caught her breath when she met the eyes of a young wolf. It was white and nearly fully grown, but early along its life, none the less.

"Her name is Rhea," Tristan said. "She is yours now to keep you company when others cannot. Accept her as my gift to you on a special day. Take care of her."

Raine looked up to thank Tristan but the scout no longer stood by her door. Hugging the wolf close to her body, Raine took a step out of her quarters and looked to her left. Tristan was there, making his way to the round table. Raine looked down at the wolf once more and set it down on her bed. Rhea seemed tame, probably the influence of Tristan. She ran her hands through the wolf's fur twice before she rose and left her room, not bothering to bind or braid her long hair. As Raine walked to join her fellow knights at the round table, her thoughts lingered on the wolf that had now, just as Tristan had his hawk, become her new companion.

As Raine's thoughts lingered on Tristan's actions, an unknown deed had been fulfilled. The chisel had successfully worn away another layer of Raine's walls.

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_**A/N: Cheers to major editing completed in rapid succession. Read and review, please. :D**_


	4. IV: One Last Mission

**Hyperion**

**Author:** The Holy See

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**Summary: **Tired of seeing the young of their tribe taken to serve Rome, Aleath and her silent friend Raine issue a negotiation with Roman soldiers. With negotiations going better than expected, they are led to serve Arthur and fight alongside his knights. Typically, women did not belong in their situations. Lucky for them, they weren't typical women. Less character deaths.

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_**A/N: I have finally gotten back to work on this story. My first step was to thoroughly edit all my chapters and then to continue. If you have read this before, there have been considerable changes made. If you are new to this story, I hope you enjoy.**_

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**Chapter 4: **One Last Mission

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Raine had passed Jols on her way to the fortress hall. She vaguely remembered him telling her that he was to escort the 'holy assed bishop' to Arthur's table before continuing his walk to Arthur's room. Tristan's unexpected act had left Raine disoriented, her hair loose and features flushed. However, forgetting that she was to be in the bishop's presence, she neglected to wear her dark gray jerkin and merely made her way to the hall in a black high necked tunic. The knights would not mind her appearance, though they might be a little surprised. Her cheeks were flushed even more from the cold and strong winds outside when she walked into the hall.

Each of the knights looked to greet Raine with a nod, or a booming hello in Bors' case, surprised at her rather unbecoming appearance. Raine had always been pristine and orderly when engaging with people. 'Not an ounce of dirt, even after battle,' Bors had once said. Raine noticed that Arthur had not yet arrived but went to take her seat next to Galahad and Dagonet, Tristan directly across from her. Dagonet noticed that Raine's hands were bound a bit tighter than usual, her fingers moist from the slave that she always used.

"Are your hands well?" Dagonet asked under his breath so as not to attract much attention.

He knew Raine wouldn't be very appreciative of unwanted attention, especially when it disclosed any of her weaknesses. Raine looked to Dagonet and merely nodded though her confusion was showing clearly in her eyes.

"Is there anything that you wish to speak of?" Dagonet asked, showing him his softer side, hoping for reciprocation.

He wished for her to seek emotional refuse in friends for once and not the solitude that she had grown so very accustomed to. Dagonet knew the damage it could to someone. He had tried to take this course of action once himself. He was lucky enough to have had Bors snap him out of it. Raising her head, Raine looked to Dagonet and softly nodded.

"After Arthur speaks with us," she said, no shake to her voice. "I would much rather than in private than converse amidst everyone else."

Dagonet nodded in return and sighed to himself. Arthur arrived not a moment later and a few minutes after, the bishop's priest followed, the bishop waiting outside for his grand introduction.

"His eminence, lord bishop Neus Germanus," the priest said, staring at Arthur's round table as if it were a demon on wooden legs.

The bishop entered with a fake, wide smile on his face as the knights stood with equally feigned respect. The smile on the bishop's face faded quickly though when he saw the table he was to be seated at. Why was there no head? Had they no respect for a man of the bishop's stature?

"A round table? What sort of evil is this?" the priest asked Jols.

"Arthur says that for men to be men, they must first be equal," Jols explained, finding the priests shock amusing, to say the least.

They all sat as Jols brought and signalled for other servers to come in with numerous goblets of wine for the knights and the bishop to drink. Not much effort was made by the bishop to hide his disgust with round table. All the same, not much effort was made to make the bishop feel as if he was any more special than the man next to him; a fact he was well aware of. Galahad stared at the man with so much hatred that his clenched fists had begun to shake. Aleath wouldn't have been surprised if crimson liquid started to slip through his fingers. From his left, Raine had gently placed a hand over his. The unexpected contact from one of the most secluded knights in the group had taken Galahad by surprise. She kept his hand over his until he loosened his fist, a thankful nod in Raine's direction. Tristan watched the exchange, noticing that Raine had looked disoriented and confused.

"I was given to understand that there would be more of you," the bishop said.

"He acts so surprised and yet he only carries enough papers for those of us present," Gawain muttered under his breath.

Under the table, Aleath softly took Gawain's hand in her own, squeezing it ever so gently. Gawain looked to her but found that she all her attention had been paid to the bishop. Raine looked down into her goblet at blood red wine. It was the same color that she saw when Gareth's life slowly drained from his body, the color she saw whenever she slept at night and relived unwanted memories.

"There were," Arthur said, looking around at his remaining knights. "We have been fighting here for fifteen years, bishop."

The bishop noticed the hostile glares being sent in his direction, most from Galahad no doubt. Without any guilt though, he continued on with the business at hand.

"Of course," he said replied to Arthur as if it had been obvious from the beginning. "Arthur and his knights have served with courage to maintain the honour of Rome's empire on this last outpost while gloried. Rome is most indebted."

Germanus raised his goblet and continued, "To you noble knights, on your final days as servants to the empire."

Lancelot looked up suddenly, disturbed by the bishop's choice of words. "Day. Not days," he corrected, before sipping his wine. The bishop laughed silently, thinking of his correction as a joke and nothing more, gesturing the knights to sit down as he too lowered himself onto his seat.

"The pope has taken a personal interest in you and your knights, Arthur. He inquires after each of you and is curious to know if your knights have converted to the word of our savior or..." Germanus trailed off, turning to Arthur as he awaited a response.

Arthur replied steadily, his loyalty to his knights clear, "They have retained the religion of their forefathers. I have never questioned that."

"Ugh, of course, of course," the bishop said, voice dripping with disdain. "There are pagans, hmm? For our part, the church has deemed such beliefs as innocence. But you, Arthur, your path to God is through Pelagius? I saw his image in your room."

Arthur smiled with relish at the memory of Pelagius and said, "He took my father's place for me. His teachings on free will and equality have been a great influence. I look forward to our reunion in Rome."

Lancelot looked to his friend and knew that he meant it. Arthur had often spoken of the man that they called Pelagius. Similarly, many a times, Lancelot had declared that the Rome Arthur often spoke of, did not exist, nor would it ever. Germanus looked rather nervous but cleared his throat not a moment later.

"Rome awaits your arrival with great anticipation," he declared. "You are a hero! In Rome, you will live out your days in honor and wealth. Alas, we are all but players in an ever changing world."

He took a box from his priest and set it down on the table, working on the locks and claps at each side.

"Barbarians from every corner are almost at homes door. Because of this, Rome, and the holy father, has decided to remove ourselves from indefensible outposts such as Briton."

Some of the knights stood at this declaration, hardly able to believe their ears. Tristan watched the reactions of his brothers along with Dagonet, ready to calm them down if necessary.

"What will become of Briton is not our concern anymore," said the bishop with nonchalance, "I suppose the Saxons will claim it soon."

"Saxons?" Arthur repeated, angry that he had not been told sooner.

"Yes," Germanus replied. "In the north, a massive Saxon incursion has begun."

"The Saxons only claim what they kill," Lancelot said lowly.

"And only kill everything," Gawain added, his set firmly on the bishop, anger raging through his veins. Next to him, Aleath's frown deepened.

"So you will leave the land to the world, and I risked my life for nothing?" Galahad questioned angrily as the bishop finally opened the box, displaying its contents to the knights. Eight scrolls sat in the box.

"Gentlemen and women, your discharge papers with safe conduct throughout the Romance Empire," the bishop declared.

Arthur could not help but notice the looks of longing that had settled on the faces of his knights. Some of those were his most imperturbable knights, Tristan and Dagonet. He was surprised to see no change in Raine's expression, however.

"But first, I must speak to your commander," the bishop said.

None of the knights made any signs of moving out of the room when Germanus slammed the heavy box's lid closed. The bang of wood against wood bounced off of the walls, echoing within the room. The tension rose, each knight could feel it. Lancelot stood and took another sip of his wine as he looked to each of his comrades.

"Come, let's leave Roman business to Romans."

One by one, each knight made their way out of the hall, following the lead that Lancelot had set. The last of all, Bors, whom Dagonet had to mutter to, telling him to let it go before he exited the hall after the others. When they had gotten out of the hall, Gawain threw Aleath on his shoulder and along with Galahad made their out and into the courtyard. They laughed as they went, lightening the mood. Lancelot and Bors followed. Tristan followed suit after Dagonet had requested a moment to speak with Raine alone. They walked and later Dagonet sat down with Raine on the grass a bit ways from the courtyard.

"What is it that you wish to speak of?" Dagonet asked, turning himself so that he faced Raine.

Her head rose, and for a moment, Raine had lost any trace of apathy and a different, more vulnerable person surfaced.

"Tristan," Raine said, bring her knees up to her chest, the vulnerability growing on her face. "He did something that I did not expect earlier today. He gave me a wolf cub. It's nearly fully grown, but it is still obviously young. Dagonet, he confuses me so much. His actions, his words, these unsaid thoughts that you just know he's thinking. I'm afraid of what he is capable of making me feel. I spent so long making sure that I could protect myself from feeling pain, succeeding, of course. Yet you and Tristan make it so hard for me to do so now, just as Gareth had done before you."

"Tristan confuses many," Dagonet smiled, knowing that Raine's defences were slowly being eroded. "Do not think you're the only one. This feeling that you have around Tristan is foreign to you, I'm sure, however I must ask that you show the bravery and courage you've done many a time before and let your true self shine through more often. Laugh, smile, we have all been dying to hear the laughter of such a beautiful woman. Also, I ask you not to ear such things that Tristan may make you feel. If you'd let him, you could be great friends. Tristan has been caring for that cub for a long time now. You have a love for animal companionship; do not deny it for it shines brightly through your personality."

"If he cared so much for the animal, why did he give it to me?" Raine asked, still dazed.

"Today is your birthday, is it not?" Dagonet replied in question.

Raine nodded, her hair flying back with the wind as she did so, "My thirty-first summer past. I feel so old."

Chuckling, Dagonet said, "Don't say that. You'll make feel even older and Bors ancient. Tristan cares for you just he does all the other knights, though like you he has problems showing it. We all have different methods of showing our affections. You have the strangest way yet. I'm certain that Bors has come to favour to pebbles you continuously fling at neck. Similarly, the cub is Tristan's way."

Raine smiled despite herself.

"Why is it that you are so distance with the knights, Raine?" Dagonet asked. "Why do you seclude yourself when what you really need are people to be there for you? I am an emotionally strained man myself, but even I have someone I can talk with freely. Perhaps two if you would listen."

Raine's body stiffened and once again images of flames plagued her inner eye. A wave of nausea hit her and she turned away from Dagonet.

"A lot has been taken away from me, Dagonet. I no longer wish to feel the pain and yet you make is so difficult for me to keep my distance," Raine explained. "For instance, when Gareth and Percival passed, I lost a month's worth of sleep to dreams of fire and flame."

Dagonet sighed. It was common knowledge that Gareth and Raine had been great friends. On more than one occasion, Gareth had succeeded in making Raine laugh with a livelihood that they had not seen before. However, Gareth had long been gone and so had Raine's laughter. This is what troubled Raine. History had a habit of repeating itself. She would give someone the opportunity to be her friend and let go of her fears. She would open herself up to this one person and then the same person would be taken from her. It was like that of a swift cut of the knife to the thinnest of thread. Quick.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke again, "You ca talk to me."

Raine had put quite a bit of emphasis on the 'can'. "And my distance to you and possibly even the others might lessen were it not for the constant fear of losing more of you. It is just easier for me to deal with the losses when I am not so attached. The pain isn't so bad this way."

With a reassuring smile, Dagonet spoke, "Raine? Look at me." Raine did as she was told and looked up. "You will not lose me Raine, I promise you. After all, since you're so busy looking after everyone else, you'll be needing someone to look after you."

The tiniest of smiles graced Raine's lips as Dagonet opened his arms to embrace her. He was her new found confidante. She leaned into him gratefully, willing herself, as she let the warmth of his body seep into hers, that she would not lose Dagonet. He promised her and against her better judgement, she believed him. Galahad's drunken laughter raced across the grounds, reaching Dagonet and Tristan's ears. Together, they rose and made their way to the courtyard to join their comrades. Raine had settled herself in a corner next Tristan near Aleath who had handed her a cup of her favorite wine.

"I never thanked you for Rhea, Tristan," Raine said as she watched Gawain and Galahad throw their knives, attempting to best one another. "Do you truly trust to leave such a creature in my hands?"

Tristan gazed down at his shorter companion amusedly, "If you care for anything as much as you care for you horse, then truth be told, I'd trust you to take care for my anything."

Raine then watched him go, from above the brim of her wine glass, and loose one of his knives, landing in the center of the hilt of Galahad's knife.

"Tristan," Galahad said, disappointed that the scout had spoiled his 'good shot'.

Gawain looked to the scout and inquired, "How do you do that?"

The handsome scout pointed at his target and slurred, "I aim for the middle," before returning to his spot and feeding on his apple.

Galahad, unable to woo any of the maidens or bar wenches around him, had resigned to drawing Aleath onto his lap. It didn't last very long seeing as Gawain had rather roughly pulled Aleath onto his own lap and far away from Galahad's. He wrapped his arms tightly around Aleath's middle.

"If you don't mind, Gawain," Aleath gasped for air, "I'd very much prefer having the ability to breathe while I'm being held in an affectionate manner."

At her words, Gawain loosened his grip and laughed, kissing Aleath's cheek softly, whiskers on his face ticking her slightly. From the table, a bit ways off from then, Lancelot shot suggestive looks at Aleath knowing very well that Gawain would see.

"You know," Aleath said, "I think it's about time someone taught Lancelot a lesson."

"I can feel the evil in her ticking," Gawain said, gesturing for Galahad to lean in closer, "Tell me, what do you intend on subjecting the poor Lancelot to, Lea?"

"I say we tie him to a post, smother him with honey and let the bees attack," Galahad said, wine getting the best of him, hitting the table lightly with his fist.

Aleath raised an eyebrow at him and said, "I personally don't think it possible to come up with a crazier plan."

Gawain smiled tipsily and, like Galahad, hit the table lightly, "I got it! We attack Lancelot with Vanora's hummus."

"I stand here before you, corrected," Aleath muttered, shaking her head as Galahad gagged at the thought of Vanora's unpleasant hummus.

"Just trying to keep things in perspective, love," Gawain smiled, causing the woman to look at them incredulously before thanking them with utmost sarcasm.

"No, no," Galahad said, "We should attack him with his weakness!"

"Yes," Gawain nodded, "Right." He looked to Galahad and Aleath and then questioned, "What is his weakness?"

"I distinctly remember him saying that he absolutely detested any sort of dirt marring his perfect features," Galahad said, jumping in his drunken triumph. "That's it! We'll attack him with dirt! Ironic seeing as Lancelot is nearly always filthy."

Aleath moved herself so that she now sat on the bench, her voice hitching as she said, "Great, Gawain and I will corner him and then you can sneeze on him."

"It's a brilliant plan, isn't it? He should be compared to shoe geniuses that build that place up in Ireland. Alestone, was it?" Gawain asked.

Aleath rolled her eyes at Gawain, "Perhaps you should be too. It's called Stonehenge, my bright knight."

"No!" Galahad said, waving his hand back and forth, "No, we'll get a container of dirt and..." he paused. "Actually, it doesn't even have to be real. We can just a box that says 'dirt' on it and ehm..."

"Chase him with the box?" Gawain supplied.

"Yes, that's it!" Galahad laughed, "We'll chase him with the box."

Aleath pictured Lancelot, clad in his full armor, riding away from Galahad who had was chasing him with an extended arm. In his hand, he held a box that was labelled 'dirt'. Shaking the strange image from her mind, she declared, "I'm starting to lean towards the hummus offensive."

"He'll never see it coming," Gawain said, eyes squinted and head low.

The three sat there, their heads moving up and down as they nodded. They made quite a sight, like three brooding stooges, as Bors would have said. A soft yet deep voice spoke from behind Galahad's ear.

"Perhaps when you are done planning my demise, you will all discontinue your brooding and murmuring. You're starting to scare Bors' bastards."

They jumped, all three of them, Lancelot's voice shaking each of the knights as they had not expected him, of all people, to stir them from their wicked plans. Bors shook his head as he gave his son back to Vanora, telling her to be a mother to her son. Dagonet left Raine's side for the time being to see Bors and fetch himself another mug of ale. Bors had given his youngest to Vanora before he turned to see his closest friend.

"Dagonet, where've yeh been?" Bors asked him, "We've got plans to make."

Without a word, Dagonet leaned on the counter and poured himself some ale seeing as Vanora was currently occupied by her infant child. He turned to see Bors, or rather hear him, urging his lover to sing as he led her to the center of the courtyard. Choruses of encouragement came from knights, commoners and Romans alike. Dagonet himself had yelled for Vanora to sing. The woman had such a lovely voice despite the shrillness of her voice when angered.

"Sing about home!" Galahad called out.

Aleath smiled and nudged Gawain. Galahad's excitement was enough to be shared amongst the knights and it brought smiles to the faces of his two closest friends. He was like a child told he could any horse he pleased. Vanora finally gave in and began a song about Sarmatia, bringing relish and longing to even the most stoic of knights.

Tristan had abandoned his apple, which seemed to be his most treasured belonging at the moment, to listen to Vanora's song. Galahad had closed his eyes and pictured the rolling hills and beautiful plains of Sarmatia as he sang quietly to himself. He rocked from side to side dreamily. Against claims of not remembering his homeland, Gawain felt his heart being pulled to the lands in the north. Looking to Aleath, his felt his heart skip a bit.

She was looking up at the clear night sky, stars reflecting in her eyes. She seemed so carefree and, though Gawain did not realize he was thinking it, she looked to be the brightest and most beautiful star of them all. Her gaze travelled to him and she smiled, laying a hand on his and clutching it tightly. She leaned on his shoulder then, and Gawain, opposite to what he would have done with other women, took Aleath's hand in his own and used his free hand to wrap around her shoulder, drawing her closer to him.

Raine watched Gawain and smiled to herself but remained unaffected by Vanora's song. She didn't know where she was going to end up after her release. She merely knew that she wished to be released. However, Raine did know that she wasn't going to be returning to Aleath's tribe. Perhaps she could visit another land in Sarmatia like the northern rim she had never seen before. She had heard stories about the land from Ithuil before, never tiring of them. Next to her, Tristan shook himself from his feelings and resumed eating his apple.

From afar, Jols spotted Arthur and called out to him. At once, the knights had stood from their respective seats in the courtyard to join their commander, or rather, their friend.

"Arthur!" Galahad called, his jug of wine tight in his grasp, "You're not completely Roman yet, right?"

"Rus!" Bors yelled in reply, his hand beating his over his heart.

Lancelot's eyes narrowed. He knew Arthur better than any of the other knights. One look at their commander's face and he knew there was something wrong. Lancelot had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what Arthur was going to have to say.

"Knights," Arthur began, "Brothers and sisters in arms. Your courage has been tested beyond all limits.

Dagonet noticed Arthur's strange attitude. He was solemn as Bors muttered in agreement to his statement. His friends were thankful that it was all finally over, that they could go home to friends and family. Dagonet stood up straight; preparing himself for what he knew was coming. He only hoped Bors would know better himself.

"But I must ask you now for one further trial," Arthur continued.

"Drink?" Bors laughed, feigning a mug of ale.

Tristan had caught on by this time. There was no joke behind Arthur's words. He looked to Raine meaningfully and she nodded back to him with a look that he, for once, couldn't read. He knew, however, that Raine understood what was going on.

"We must leave on a final mission for Rome before our freedom can be granted,"

Gawain and Galahad laughed, Gawain pointing to Arthur as if to let him know that his joke was a good one. He looked to Aleath, whose smile had fallen from her face, and he himself lost his smile. This couldn't be happening. Gawain feared Galahad's reaction. He'd be furious. All smiles fully dissolved when Arthur finally continued.

"Above the wall, far in the North, there is a Roman family in need of rescue. They are trapped by Saxons. Our orders are to secure their safety."

Aleath frowned but said nothing, awaiting the reactions of her companions before acting.

"Let the Romans take care of their own," Bors said coldly.

"Above the wall is Woad territory," Gawain said with reasoning in his voice.

He looked to Aleath, who was now very much sober, and shook his head, sorry that none of them were going to receive their freedom tomorrow.

"Our duty to Rome, if it was ever a duty, is done!" Galahad exclaimed, "Our pact with Rome, is done!"

Bors stepped forward, "Every knight here has laid their life on the line for you," he pointed straight at Arthur, "for you. And instead of freedom you want more blood? Our blood?! You think more of Roman blood than you do of ours!"

"Bors, these are our orders and when we return, your freedom will be waiting for you, a freedome we can embrace with honor."

"I am a free man! I will choose my own fate!" Bors' cried, his own objections mixing with the cries of his son.

"Yeah, yeah," Tristan commented, still working on his apple. "We're all going to die some day. If it's a death from a Saxon hand that frightens you, stay home."

Galahad whirled himself around, not wishing to hear any of it, "Listen, if you're so eager to die, you can die right now!"

Lancelot shook his head and stepped forward to stop Galahad's tirade while Raine had prepared herself to intervene in any brawl. Galahad ignored Lancelot and hit Lancelot's hand to keep him from laying a hand on him.

"I have something to live for!"

"The Romans have broken their word," he said, "We have the word of Arthur. That is enough. I'll prepare." Dagonet moved to leave for his bedroom. His voice had been calm and soothing for the others. "Bors, you coming?"

"Of course I'm coming! Can't you go on your own, you'll all get killed!" Bors yelled, still thrashing about. "I'm just saying what you're all thinking!"

As Bors worried about Vanora's reaction, Dagonet continued his exit. Tristan, who was always ready for missions, followed Dagonet without a word. Tracking and killing was what he did, why fight it? Nearing the end of the courtyard, Tristan turned and looked to Raine, waiting for her. He knew she wasn't going to object. Arthur, seeing Tristan's actions as well, watched his second scout, slightly fearful, as he was with the rest of knights, of what she would say or do.

Setting her wine down onto a nearby table, Raine's eyes travelled to the stars in the sky and then back down to Arthur's eyes. Her point of view was very much that of Dagonet's and Tristan's. She trusted Arthur and had no fear of the Saxons. Her only fear was for the safety of her friends. She'd go to ensure safety. With a nod as her assurance of her loyalty to Arthur, Raine made her way to Tristan and together they went to ready their horses, discussing the paths they should take.

"Lea?" Arthur asked, turning to his most gentle and understanding knight yet.

Many times before, there had been occasions when the orders Arthur had received angered his knights. Every time it happened, Aleath understood and smiled. No previous situation was as bad as their current one, however. Though disappointed and slightly angered that their freedom would not yet be granted, she smiled.

"I was with you before, I am with you now."

Arthur smiled slightly and turned to Gawain, "And you Gawain?"

"I am with you," Gawain said, taking a gulp of wine.

Gawain looked to Galahad who was still irate. He watched as the youngest in their company shook his head with disbelief, but Gawain knew better. Galahad's loyalty to Arthur would never waiver. His anger, however, was his source of energy at the moment. There would be no calm in Galahad's heart for the rest of the night. When Galahad made no move to answer Arthur, Gawain replied for him.

"Galahad as well."

Knowing that Gawain was right, Galahad poured the wine for the jug he was holding before throwing the jug down and breaking it. He walked away from the courtyard, quickly followed by Gawain. Aleath walked to Arthur and brought a hand to his cheek. He looked to her, a sadness in his eyes, before opening his arms and welcoming the comforting embrace that she offered. Rubbing his back, Aleath let go and looked down before jogging to catch up with Gawain. Arthur looked to Lancelot, apologies in his eyes for everything that he had just done, and walked away to prepare his own belongings.

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_**A/N: This whole editing thing goes a lot faster than expected.**_


	5. V: The Departure

**Hyperion**

**Author:** The Holy See

* * *

**Summary: **Tired of seeing the young of their tribe taken to serve Rome, Aleath and her silent friend Raine issue a negotiation with Roman soldiers. With negotiations going better than expected, they are led to serve Arthur and fight alongside his knights. Typically, women did not belong in their situations. Lucky for them, they weren't typical women. Less character deaths.

* * *

_**A/N: I have finally gotten back to work on this story. My first step was to thoroughly edit all my chapters and then to continue. If you have read this before, there have been considerable changes made. If you are new to this story, I hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

**Chapter 5:** The Departure

* * *

When Aleath, Gawain and Galahad arrived at the southern stables, they found, as expected, Raine, Tristan and Dagonet already strapping various items onto their horses and preparation for their upcoming journey. Jols was in the far corner of the stables as well, preparing two extra horses, along with his own, securing extra weaponry to the saddles. Aleath whistled for Iapetus just before Raine threw her Iapetus' reigns and, much to her surprise and dismay, the saddle as well.

"Oi! Watch where you're throwing those things," Gawain said, the saddle barely missing his head.

The laughter that Gawain expected never came. No one could be blamed considering what had just happened. They went about their business in continuing silence, no one able to bring their selves to speak. What was there to say? A freedom long awaited had just been ripped from their hands. A life in which they could choose their own battles, decide for themselves who they would fight for; who they would die for.

Looking from one night to another, Aleath sighed and gathered the courage to speak her mind. She trembled slightly as it was certainly the wrong time for people to start thinking her a coward. It was Raine herself who had told Aleath many years before that fear was a weakness. Weakness was something they could not risk. Aleath had reassured herself when she caught Gawain's eyes. He had promised long before that he would never look down on her, no matter what she said, no matter what she admitted to. They were family.

"Of all the missions we have undertaken," Aleath began slowly, "This one frightens me the most."

Other than Galahad and Gawain, no one had stopped what they were doing. Raine continued securing Tethys' saddle and to her right, Tristan strapped his bed roll to his horse. Dagonet, although continuing his preparations, lifted his gaze to watch his friend and listen to what, it seemed, she needed to say.

"I am afraid of loss," Aleath looked down to hay covered floor, not knowing if she should continue or not. "To lose one more of you, my comrades and family, is something that I cannot bring myself to imagine nor accept. To think that I may not return from this journey to be free once again frightens me."

Dagonet glanced quickly to Raine, worried about how the woman was taking what she was hearing. After his assurances that she would lose no one else, he could only guess how she was handling the possibilities of returning to Hadrian's Wall less one comrade. He searched for answers to his questions in Raine's expression but, as usual, found none. Her mask was set firmly in place and he doubted that would change for as long as she was in their company. His questions died away when he, once again, recalled their conversation. Dagonet trusted that when she was ready, Raine would reveal her thoughts.

The dark haired woman finished preparing her mount, leading the horse back to her stall. She gazed at Aleath and told her silently that there was nothing to worry about. They weren't going to lose anyone. Not if she could help it. She was at the stable door, about to exit, when Tristan's voice sounded.

"Death. We knights are blessed in that we do not run from it. We seek it, grasp it by the throat and demand honor in our passing. It is our own selves that choose how we pass."

Tristan then led his horse to its stall before continuing towards the exit. As he passed Raine, he said the last of his words, his eyes meeting hers and keeping the gaze, "Do not fear death. Brave it and trust in your comrades. Trust that they know which paths they choose and understand the risks that comes with it."

He was gone then, leaving his friends' thoughts to linger on his words. His departure was followed shortly by Raine's who had left without saying anything.

"That's the wisest thing I've ever heard him say," Galahad spoke when he finally realized that he still had not finished with his own preparations.

"Perhaps we should call our guru and seek his advice regularly," Gawain commented, smirking.

Slowly but surely, smiled etched their way onto each of their faces, smiles that soon turned into laughter. Aleath smiled, thoughts eased by the scout's words and the sound of laughter. Laughter was always a good sign.

--

Rhea scampered out from the corner when she heard the distinct sound of a door opening and closing. Tail wagging, she dashed to Raine's side, ready for the attention that she had been craving. Raine dropped to her knees and caught the wolf in her arms, nearly falling to her back from the force of her furry companion. She was grateful for the warmth that her new friend gave her. There were many times when Raine wished she could seek refuge in the arms of a friend. She remembered Gareth and how his arms felt around her body. Her heart had softened with Gareth and she allowed herself to finally begin healing from the loss of Ithuil. Then she lost Gareth too. Any progress made on Raine died along with him.

Raine was filled with a cold dread when she remembered what Aleath had earlier disclosed. Arthur's words had reassured them of freedom when they returned. There was no assurance, however, that they would all return to enjoy the prize. She suddenly felt foolish, recalling Dagonet's words. Had he not assured her that she would not lose anyone else? Raine trusted Dagonet. Perhaps it was time to put a bit more faith in her friend. Ruffling Rhea's fur, Raine rose from the floor and strode to the chest that sat at the food of her spacious bed.

From the chest, she withdrew a long wooden casing and set it gingerly upon her bed. Beside her, Rhea had settling down slightly to watch her owner intently. Reaching into her tunic's pocket, Raine pulled out a small golden key and used it to open the case. She gazed at the weaponry that had been laid neatly on top of fur padding. The two blades were identical in all aspects, markings engraved on each of the sturdy wooden hilts. Bending down, she pulled out the blades' sheaths and carefully slipped each blade to rest in their respective cases. The sheaths reminded her of Lancelot's, though they were much smaller.

Snapping the wooden casing shut, she slipped back into the chest and locked it. For four years she had refused to use the twin blades that her father had used in his lifetime. She didn't quite understand why, but she felt the urge to use it for their final mission. Perhaps, she thought, it would lend her the strength of her father who had saved so many with the two finely crafted weapons. Rhea chose that moment to bark, tearing Raine's attention away from the weapons and to the cub.

"I leave for a journey at first light," Raine said to the wolf, resting on her bed. "A journey that leads to more danger rather than any form of home."

Rhea jumped up onto the bed and rested her head on Raine's lap, eyes staring up at Raine.

"What? You wish to come with us?"

The wolf lifted its right paw and set it down on Raine's lap as well.

Raine laughed slightly, knowing the cub could understand no matter how silly she may have looked.

"You are prepared to do all that running? Tracking?" Raine questioned still. "We will take little rest, do you not know?"

Still, Rhea stared at her.

"If you wish then, but you must keep close to me."

Raine ran her hands along Rhea's soft fur, resting her head upon her pillows. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. A soft knock on Raine's doors remained unheard by the woman. She was tired and needed all the rest that she could get before they left in the hours to come. On the other side of the doors, Tristan stood. He had knocked for the third time and still there was no answer to allow his entrance to the room. Tristan stood there for a moment, his hand resting lightly on the handle of Raine's door.

'This isn't the first time you've entered a woman's chambers before,' Tristan berated himself, 'You've fought countless battles, braved many circumstances, and yet you can't even gather the wits to walk into a room.'

Tristan looked down at his hands through a curtain of his hair. This was different. Raine wasn't a bar wench that he wished to bed for a nights warmth. Then again, Tristan wasn't really sure what he wanted with Raine. He reached into his trouser pocket and retrieved the small bottle of salve that he had made a few nights ago for the ache he had noticed in Raine's hands. It was an excuse, Tristan knew that much, but an excuse for what?

From his door, Dagonet watched as Tristan's hand fell from the handle of Raine's door and threw the small bottle he had been holding to the side. The scout then silently walked away, tightening the leather arm guard on his left extremity. It was interesting sight see. A man who appeared to be so free of any fear had been stopped by some strange force.

When Tristan had exited the hall for an unknown destination, Dagonet went and picked up the bottle that Tristan had discarded earlier. He opened it and sniffed at the bottle's contents. It smelled of mint leaves and eucalyptus that had been pounded and mixed into milk. It was a fine mix meant for the relief of pains. Dagonet resealed the bottle and slipped it into his coat, making a mental note to make sure that Raine received the forgotten gift come morning.

--

"I'm up," Raine muttered to her wolf as she sat up.

Rhea hopped off of the bed and stretched her legs as Raine dressed. She traded her dirty black tunic for a clean indigo blue high necked tunic and over it she replaced her black, ring studded jerkin. She changed her trousers and pulled her boots on after. Whipping her cloak on, she strapped her blades and quiver to her back and slipped throwing knives into hidden pockets along the rings of her jerkin. She slipped a couple into each boot before picking up her bow. She had begun to wax the string of her bow when she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in," Raine called out.

Dagonet opened Raine's door and was greeted by the wolf cub she had told him about the previous evening. He patted the wolf's head before moving to examine Raine as she prepared the last of her weapons. He set the bottle of salve that Tristan had intended for her on the table in front of her. Raine eyed it curiously, her eyebrows raised at Dagonet.

"A different salve to try on your hands," Dagonet answered the silent question.

"Thank you for making it," Raine replied, picking the bottle up and smelling its contents.

"Don't thank me," Dagonet replied, turning his back to leave. "Thank Tristan. He made it."

Raine watched Dagonet's retreating figure, a loss of words as her door closed. First and foremost, she was very much unaccustomed to expressing any verbal thanks. Second, she was surprised that it had been Tristan that thought of making her healing salve and not Dagonet. It was Dagonet that had expressed far more concern for her, not Tristan. Tristan's little chisel seemed to be making a lot of progress these days.

Making sure that she had not forgetting anything, Raine opened her door and let Rhea pass through first before she, herself, exited. Raine led Tethys out of his stall and allowed him to trot in a circle a few times to stretch his legs before she mounted him. Stroking the horse's neck, Raine whistled for Rhea to follow and made her way to the knights' private courtyard. Unsurprisingly, Tristan was already there muttering to his hawk who rested on his gloved hand. Raine pulled her own gloves on as Tristan let his game bird fly off and turned to watch her. Rhea barked and jumped up and down when she saw Tristan.

"You're taking the cub with you," Tristan stated rather than questioned.

"Yes," Raine replied, binding her hair in quick but loose braid. "She could be useful for scouting and I don't doubt her ability to keep up with our pace. You did raise her, did you not?"

A small smile found its way onto Tristan's features at the compliment that Raine had subtly delivered. He watched the wolf with fondness. His eyes spotted Raine's new weaponry and he admired them idly.

"Those are finely crafted weapons you carry," he said, "Are they new?"

"No," Raine replied, finishing off her braid, "Merely untouched. They were my fathers."

Tristan nodded in reply. He had never heard Raine mention her father before. Come to think of it, he had never heard her mention anything about her life before the knights. He had never bothered to pry. If she wanted to tell him, she would.

"Tristan," Raine said suddenly, "I want to thank you for the salve that you made. I tried it this morning after Dagonet had given it to me. It soothes my wrist perfectly."

Tristan sat dumbfounded for a moment before nodding in reply. Dagonet was a sneaky blighter. Never the less, Tristan surprised himself at his enjoyment of the rare smile that she sent his way. He eyed Raine's blades again and silently hoped that she would continue to use the salve. If she insisted on using her father's weapons, she was going to need all the salve she could get.

"Don't let Gawain anywhere near them," Tristan joked, "I'd expect that you'd never get them back."

Raine smirked, eyes dancing with a light laughter, "Let him try."

"Let who try what?"

The man in question, along with Galahad and Aleath, as usual, arrived at the courtyard with their horses in tow. Aleath had tossed a loaf of bread to Raine who caught it with ease and split it quickly, passing a half to Tristan. He took it obligingly as Gawain stared at both scouts, waiting for an answer.

"Well?" he waited expectantly, fiddling with a piece of his own bread before spotting something a bit more interested. "New blades! Let me see!"

Galahad choked on his laughter as his friend made move to take the blades, which were high above his head, from the ever so taciturn Raine. It was comical, really, to see Gawain so eager to have a look at a piece of weaponry. Before she was able to utter a warning, Aleath winced as Gawain tripped over Rhea, who had found her way behind Gawain's legs, a cloud of dust flying from the spot of impact.

"I think I've bruised a little more than my ass," he muttered, rubbing at his behind, "I'll just to find a suitable way of comforting myself. Lea! Come hither."

Aleath rolled her eyes, "Get up, fool, before Tristan decides to walk his horse over you."

"Don't temp the man," Galahad called out with a mouth stuffed with bread.

The young knight wiped his hands off on his trousers before mounting his own horse. His two closest companions followed suit just as Bors, Dagonet and Lancelot rode up to them. Lancelot looked at each of his comrades, at ease now that they were in pleasant moods. It looked as if they had gotten over the initial shock of the bishop's audacity and had begun to treat this just like any other mission. He eyes Raine's blades and then the wolf at her horse's side.

"Ask a witch to turn you into a man and I'd call you Tristan," Lancelot called out. "I see he's given you his gift. I apologize as the rest of us have yet to give you a gift. Although I suppose you may consider the fact that I've allowed you study under my battle prowess."

"No need for gifts, I'm quite happy with just silence from you," Raine retorted. "And there is little need to flatter yourself, Lancelot. Your head is engorged enough as it is."

Bors made to let loose a comment but caught himself, eyeing Raine for any sign of expendable pebbles. To the amusement of his companions, he rubbed at an imaginary sore on the back of neck and mumbled a few choice phrases to himself.

"Must you frighten everyone, scout," Gawain said. "You could give Tristan a run for his money."

To Gawain's left Tristan snorted, "I doubt that."

"Would you care to test me?" Raine asked, not missing the challenge in his voice.

"I would not contest to a test of your skill," Tristan replied, "Even if it runs through to the evening."

Galahad choked on the water from his skins. Perhaps he was the only one that thought so, but there was an air of suggestiveness about Tristan's words that had caught him off guard. Come to think of it, it was the same suggestive nature that he had caught Tristan displaying the day before. He had eavesdropping on Raine and Tristan's exchange about the wolf, though he'd never admit it, and had been caught as surprised then as he was now. No one else seemed to take any notice though.

Dagonet nudged his horse and approached Raine. As much as he found the exchange amusing his the antics of Gawain comical, he was a little worried at how much damage the wielding of two blades would do to Raine's hands. If she was using her sword, the weakness in one hand could be supported by the other. With two different hands holding two different weapons, the impact might cause trouble. When he got near enough, he saw that she had covered her hands with supportive and tight leather bindings. So she was prepared, he realized, noting that the bindings were much more supportive than those she had previously employed. He nodded approvingly but made a note to ask her about it later.

Staring up at the sky, Aleath noticed the sunny weather and the little clouds that had scattered across the red sky. Dawn had arrived and in a few moments so would Arthur to lead them out of the wall's comforts. She searched around her for her commander and looked back up at the sky when she found no sign of him. The sky, it was so deceiving with its promise of good weather. The air grew colder around them and their departure was not a willing one. Never the less, she was thankful for the high spirits around her. A few meters away, Arthur's chamber doors opened and he stepped out of his quarters just as Jols arrived on his own horse, the two reserves and Arthurs mount with him.

Arthur mounted his horse quickly and stared approvingly at his knights. They were, once again, proving their loyalty to him and just how honourable each of them truly was.

"Friends," he began, "Let us make our final journey a successful one and return quickly to a freedom that you have unjustly been denied."

"Aye, let us make this quick so that Bors can get back to his bastards and the rest of us our drink!" Lancelot cried, pulling a sword from one of the sheaths on his back, raising it high in the air.

The knights followed suit and together sent cries of "rus" floating through the air. All of their weapons met for a second in the center of the circle they had made, metal clanging against metal before they replaced their weapons and kicked their horses into a gallop. The wind whipped at their faces as they travelled swiftly through the wall's city. Ahead of them, they could see Roman soldiers working to pull open the fortress gates. The work mares neighed as they pulled the gates open slowly. Raine glanced around her and saw Rhea darting alongside Tethys, their pace not at all too fast for her. The knights flew past the gates, heading up hill, following the path that would soon take them deep into Woad territory.

From above them all, Tristan's hawk gave a piercing cry as she circled the air above them. Through the corner of her eye, Raine spotted Rhea veering towards the right just as the hawk stooped down to fly close to the ground. The wolf jumped playfully as if she had been reunited with an old friend and together they vanished into the foliage. Without worry, Raine turned her gaze to stare at the path before them, following Arthur's lead.

* * *

_**A/N: This chapter was previously longer. I cut it in half to give the next chapter a jump start. I'm actually really excited about all of this. There's something about finally continuing my writing after such a long hiatus that absolutely thrills me.**_


	6. VI: A Healer's Calloused Hands

**Hyperion**

**Author:** The Holy See

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**Summary: **Tired of seeing the young of their tribe taken to serve Rome, Aleath and her silent friend Raine issue a negotiation with Roman soldiers. With negotiations going better than expected, they are led to serve Arthur and fight alongside his knights. Typically, women did not belong in their situations. Lucky for them, they weren't typical women. Less character deaths.

* * *

_**A/N: I AM FINALLY BACK AFTER SO LONG. And I'm very happy about it. I'm getting serious about this story.**_

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**Chapter 6:** A Healing Calloused Hand

* * *

For hours the knights continued at the same pace they had departed, challenging their horses' strength, pushing the animals beyond their limits. On their first day of travel, the Woads had ambushed them with thorn barbed vines and wooden traps. It came as a surprise though that the Woads had not continued their attack. A horn had sounded, calling them away, leaving the knights stunned and Arthur suspicious. Why did Merlin want them alive after years of trying to purge their existence? Devil ghosts, Dagonet had referred to them as they vanished from their eyes, hiding within the shadows of the fog.

Riding quickly and swiftly, they reached the end of Roman territory just as they slowed their mounts to let them rest and look for a suitable clearing to set up camp. Lancelot had frightened his companions, rather than surprised them, when he broke out into song, singing of drunken men and young women. He had winked at Aleath several times, more suggestive than ever, as he continued to belt out his song. No amount of disdain from Aleath's rolling eyes could deter the noble knight from his little self appointed task.

"Come now, beautiful Lea," Lancelot called, feigning drunkenness. "Join me in song and many other ways atop my noble steed. I shall whisk you off your feet."

"Lancelot, your ruckus makes me weary," Aleath had sighed. "Should I suggest that Raine have a little target practice?"

The curly haired knight dropped his horse's reigns for a few moments, both hands flying to his chest. He then pressed a hand to his forehead, looking ready to faint.

"My heart aches at your words, my fair lady," Lancelot cried out in despair, "Would you leave a poor, lonely man such as myself to sit alone? Have you no heart? A few moments of heavenly pleasure is all I – son of a!"

Lancelot swore, his previously mocking hands flying to the back of his sporting neck. He threw a glare at Raine who showed no signs of notice. Bors' loud laughter drowned out the rest of the laughs that the rest had given. Even Arthur smiled and laughed a little, still keeping to his reserved self, when Lancelot did his best to soothe the offending area.

"I warned you didn't you?" Aleath said in between giggles. "I have no fault. It was you who refused to listen and heed my warnings."

Travel continued along with more jokes. There was nothing like laughter to comfort and fuel their hearts and minds on their journey. A little ways from the edge of clear Roman territory, Arthur called for his two scouts to join him at the head of the group. Dagonet, who was bringing up the rear, nodded to Raine when she turned to him to excuse herself. Arthur waited for Raine to trot up next to Tristan before he gave his instructions.

"I doubt the Woads will attack again considering our prior encounter with them," Arthur informed the two. "However, I would like for you both to ride ahead and make sure our path is clear. Purge the forest of any obstacles that may come your way. Be wise though and know when the obstacle, man or not, is too great for two people to handle."

"Have a bit more faith in them Arthur," Bors called from a distance. "They're a strong couple."

A smile grew on Galahad's face, half expecting either of the scouts to object at Bors' choice of words. He got no satisfaction though as Tristan smiled a bit before riding of, looking forward to the silence that usually enveloped Raine and himself. Raine reared Tethys around, making sure everything was in order, and disappeared into the distance. The wind picked up and the knights drew their cloaks around tighter, trusting in their scouts to make the journey smoother. A bit of a ways ahead of them, Lancelot continued his song much to their dismay.

With pained expressions on all of his knights' faces, Arthur turned and said, "Lancelot, you're making me regret sending Raine off with Tristan."

"And a cruel and unusual punishment it is," Gawain cried, desperately searching for something in his satchel.

From the leather of his travel pack, Gawain withdrew some cotton and stuffed it into his ears. To his disappointment, Lancelot took this as an excuse to sing louder. Bors shook his head and stared down the path that the two scouts had road off on.

"They'd better get back soon or I'll kill him myself," he muttered.

"Not if I beat you to it," Dagonet responded.

--

The path had been free of any human obstacles so far, a fact that unexpectedly pleased Raine for once. She looked to Tristan, who seemed to be a bit disappointed by their discovery, and shook her head. Though her comrades would never believe it, Raine was happy that there wouldn't be any bloodshed just yet. It was true that she had taken pleasure in blood being spilt before, but it was starting to get tiresome. It had been a sport and a sort of revenge for her, picturing Woads to be the Romans that had killed her loved ones before. Now, it was starting to weigh heavily on her. She was sure that there was a Woad out there somewhere that felt exactly the same way she did. Raine suddenly wondered how many husbands she had killed. She shook the thoughts away. All is fair in the game of survival.

Tristan had been watching Raine intently for a while. There was a faint sign of inner turmoil on her face but there wasn't enough for him to make an assumption off of a passing frown. They had ridden ahead quite a ways and there had been no signs of foreign company. Tristan hadn't seen any tracks that belonged to anything other than animals at this point and concluded that the next few days journey wouldn't be any trouble.

"We should turn back now," Tristan said, "Everything seems to be in order. We can set up camp at that clearing we passed earlier."

"It seems defendable should there be an ambush," Raine agreed as they turned their horses back.

From above them, they saw Tristan's hawk circling the sky and to the left, Rhea came out from some bushes. She joined the two scouts, panting, seeming to be jovial and in a good mood. They had reached the clearing that they passed earlier and dismounted their horses. The sun was setting quickly, taking with it the little warmth it had offered. Their breath formed into little clouds as they breathed in and out, working to have a fire going shortly. Tristan's hawk swooped down a little later, landing on Tristan's shoulder. The man gave his bird an affectionate scratch under the beak before continuing his work and starting the fire.

"Perhaps we should hunt for some meat," Raine suggested, "I have no doubt that they'll be hungry when they arrive."

"Incompetent with hunting," Tristan mumbled.

They both knew this wasn't true. Each knight was very capable of surviving on their own. Tristan just took pleasure in mocking their abilities when he could in good fun. Both scouts secured their horses to a nearby branch and set off with their bows and arrows. Tristan's hawk had taken off and circled to catch its own dinner and Rhea soon followed. From behind a few bushes, Raine's trained eyes caught movement. She quickly motioned for Tristan to follow her as she pursued the deer she had spotted. Tristan notched an arrow into his own bow as they made their way through the shrubbery.

A few steps in front of Tristan, Raine drew her arm back. She was certain that she could make the shot. A burning pain shot down Raine's wrist and to her fingers as she aimed. She cursed as her arrow went awry, dropping her bow and clutching her right hand to her chest. Tristan fired his own arrow before the deer could run out of sight before turning to Raine.

"What happened," he asked, his brow furrowed. "Let me see."

Raine reluctantly extended her hand, pains still shooting through it, unable to fully explain why it had happened. Her wrist and fingers had been sore before but she had never before experienced pain like this. Raine flinched as Tristan held her hand in his own and removed her bindings, rubbing at her fingers and wrist. His hands were rough, Raine had noted. She couldn't blame him though. Her hands were just as calloused as his. Just as worn and wearied as his.

"I didn't expect that," Raine mumbled, looking down at the ground. Pain or no pain, she shouldn't have missed. What if that happened in combat? She'd be a waste of time. Dead weight.

"I've seen this before," Tristan said, standing and walking to Tethys.

Tristan felt around Raine's satchel and retrieved the salve he had made for Raine. Raine watched his as he uncorked the small bottle and poured out a generous amount on his palm. He rubbed his hands together and took hold of Raine's hands again. He massaged the salve onto Raine's hand, a cool and easing sensation engulfing her hand. He worked on her hand for a while, paying special attention to Raine's fingers. The girl's hands were slender and small in his own. They heard the neighs of horses and soon Arthur and the rest of the knights came through the path and into the clearing.

"Are you alright?" Dagonet called out when he saw Tristan massaging Raine's hand.

"It's nothing," came Raine's reply, the pain she felt earlier slowly ebbing away.

Tristan had ceased the massage now and was looking intently at Raine's hand in his own. It wasn't an unpleasant sight, he had concluded, and made no move to let her hand go until he heard Bors' cough. Tristan wiped his palms at his tunic's side and rose from the seat he had taken on the boulder that Raine was resting on. He put the bottle of salve into Raine's good hand.

"Make sure you reapply the salve every so often," Tristan said, "It'll help deter the pain."

He walked away, pulling out a knife from his boot and walking back into the bushes to get the deer he had shot earlier and begin preparing it for cooking. Aleath watched in amusement as Tristan made a point to quickly distance himself from Raine and the rest of them. Her oldest friend curled her right hand into a fist and stretched it out again once or twice before standing from her own seat and replacing the bottle in her satchel.

The sun had completely set by the time Tristan finished his work. He brought the meat back in smaller pieces making them easier to cook and quicker to enter empty bellies. With the fire roaring, the knights had all spread their bed rolls out, settling around the fire. Gawain had taken the meat from Tristan, skewering them with small stick of wood he had cleaned and sharpened, setting them over the fire. Thunder roared through the skies and the company readied themselves for rain. Most had pulled the hoods of their cloaks up over the heads while others opted to refrain.

Luckily, Gawain had finished cooking the meat when the rain started to pour. It was strong, as was usual for the lands they were in. They ate in near silence, an occasional joke passed back forth between Bors and Gawain. They had produced skins filled with drink, as had become expected of them, serving to keep them warm and merry. Thunder grew louder and lightning danced menacingly in the skies. It was a wonder that their fire had no died out as the rain soaked them all to the skin.

"Ugh, oh, I can't wait to leave this island," Gawain cried out in exasperation. "When it's not raining, it's snowing, when it's not snowing, it's fogging."

"And that's the summer," Lancelot pitched in.

The knights laughed good naturedly from their seats. Tristan sat in the farthest end of their makeshift circle, near Dagonet and Raine as he sharpened his dagger with the stone he had grabbed earlier. Aleath shifted closer to Gawain for more warmth. Gawain obliged, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, their body heat mixing.

"The rain is good," Bors said, "Washes all the blood away."

"Doesn't help the smell," Dagonet joked, Bors laughing in return.

"Here, here!" Aleath said loudly, lifting her wine filled skins to the air.

She huddled closer to Gawain then, resting her left hand on Gawain's which rested on her arm. Gawain welcomed the warmth of the woman's hand on his own. In fact, it had been a while since he fully felt the warmth of a woman. Then again, he had done that on his own free will. He looked down at Aleath's face, brightened by the roaring fire before them, and willed himself to memorize each contour of her face. He had halted his womanizing with good reason.

"You're staring at me," Aleath remarked, eyes never leaving the fire.

"Of course not," Gawain replied, his eyes still steady on her glowing face.

"You liar," came Aleath's retort, catching his eyes with her own. "I could feel your stare even from a mile away."

"I'd wager that you couldn't."

"And why is that?"

"I wouldn't let you stray that far from me," Gawain smiled.

A sudden wave of red had washed over Aleath's cheeks and she quickly turned her head away. She smiled to herself and at the words that Gawain had just spoken to her. It was nice to hear something like that from him, especially because she had always wanted to.

"Hey Bors," Lancelot said, "You intend to take Vanora and all your little bastards back home?"

"Oh I'm trying to avoid making that decision," Bors whined slightly, "By getting killed."

The knights laughed simultaneously. They could always count on Bors for laughter. It felt good to laugh. It was as if they had far less troubles than they truly did.

"Dagonet," Bors called, "She wants to marry and give all the children names."

"Women," Tristan said in rare conversation, "The children already have names, don't they?"

Aleath glared at Tristan from afar. If he had noticed, he made no sign of showing it, replacing his dagger back in its sheath and turning to Bors to await his reply. Beside the scout, Raine shook her head with silent laughter at the indignant expression that had settled on her young charge's face. She looked positively astounded at Tristan's actions. Galahad had snickered a little as well. Tristan may say things and react in ways they don't understand, but something deep inside him told him that Tristan would end up settling down some day. He wasn't quite sure if marriage and an end to combat would be a part of it, but Galahad was sure that when Tristan found the right woman, he'd change his mind about commitment.

"Just Gilly," Bors had answered Tristan. "It was too much trouble so gave the rest of them numbers."

"That's interesting," Lancelot said, his soaked curls bouncing as he spoke, "I thought you couldn't count."

The joke caused another round of laughter from the knights.

"Oh stop it," Aleath scolded, "I think it's lovely that Bors wants to name his children."

"You know, I never thought I'd get back home alive," the knights quieted at this statement. None of them had thought they'd live through their service. "Now that I've got the change, I don't think I could leave my children."

"You'd miss them too much," Dagonet pointed out, his deep voice clear through the sound of pattering rain.

"I'll take them with me," Bors said. "I like the little bastards. They mean something to me."

Bors' friends smiled at this. It was nice to see a more emotional side to such a rugged man. It gave depth to their characters and showed each other more reasons as to why they had all grown so close to each other. Though servitude to Rome would rather have been avoided, it did show them all importance of friendship and comradery.

"Especially number three," Bors had added, directing his statement to Lancelot. "He's a good fighter."

"That's because he's mine," Lancelot joked causing Gawain to choke on his drink.

"I'm going for a piss," Bors mumbled.

The oldest of the knights stood, flung his cloak around his shoulder and walked away, still muttering. Dagonet had reapplied salve on Raine's hand for her and she watched her wolf reappear with a rabbit in its jaws. It sat a few paces away from their fire, ripping at the flesh. When he had finished, Raine muttered her thanks and took a position by a tree. Raine leaned on the trunk and, with one final glance at her surroundings, she shut her eyes and allowed herself to finally drift off to sleep.

Dagonet had risen from his seat when Raine fell into slumber and approached Tristan. The knight had been feeding his horse an apple when Dagonet neared and turned his head only a bit to acknowledge the larger man's presence.

"How is she?" Dagonet asked Tristan.

"You have eyes," Tristan replied, "Can you not see for yourself?"

"Tristan," Dagonet warned, his eyes settled on the knights features.

"She couldn't shoot her bow properly," Tristan replied, removing the saddle of his horse, ensuring a comfortable nights rest. "I soothed it with salve. She'll need to take better care of her hand though. I'm not so sure she should be combating with two blades at this point in time. Her wrist and fingers are weak. If she pushes it too far, she could permanently injure herself. It seems, though, as if the pain is –"

"Going away," Dagonet finished for Tristan. "You've treated her well."

"If you knew the answer to your question, why'd you have to bother me with it," Tristan said, hanging his horse's reigns and saddle on a nearby branch, hair in his face.

"Because I wanted to know if you were paying more attention to the girl than you let on," was Dagonet's simple reply. "You have the hands of a healer, Tristan. You might often bring death with them but you can also bring life. Don't waste your gift."

Dagonet walked back to his bedroll as Tristan shook his head. The scout stole a glance at Raine, whose face had turned peaceful in slumber, and then turned Tethys. He strode to the woman's mount and ran his hand over the horse's nose.

"You're not very comfortable now, are you?" he asked the horse who whinnied in reply. "Your masters a stubborn one. Doesn't know when to stop pushing the limits she has."

Tethys snorted, as if to tell Tristan he was right, and kicked at the ground lightly. Tristan took one last glance at Raine before beginning to free Tethys of his saddle and reigns as well. Rhea walked past him and he whistled to her. She approached him and he bent down, petting the animal he had raised.

"Why don't you go keep her warm, eh?" Tristan whispered, nodding his head towards the sleeping scout.

Rhea licked at Tristan's face before he pushed her to Raine's direction. Dagonet smiled to himself as he watched the knight finish caring for Raine's steed. For such an observant scout, Tristan was proving himself blind to other things. To the right of the fire, Aleath had fallen asleep in Gawain's arms. It was nearing two months, Dagonet noted, Raine always did have a luck with wagers. He tossed a few more logs of wood into the camp fire before laying down himself and closing his eyes. Tomorrow would bring more trouble than any of them needed.

* * *

_**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I wrote it a lot faster than I thought it would take me. I am quite certain that I will have an update by next week. Maybe even sooner. I've already started it. Check my bio for any new news.**_

_**Till the next chapter. Let's try to get the reviews up to sixty, shall we? Just for a little boost? You know, to get the juices a'flowin'? Please and thankyou.**_


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